Authors
- Goranka Oremović — University Hospital Dubrava, Zagreb, Croatia — ORCID: 0000-0002-7451-4341
- Mara Ćavarušić — University Hospital Dubrava, Zagreb, Croatia — ORCID: 0000-0002-2146-6761
- Mateja Šolić — University Hospital Dubrava, Zagreb, Croatia
- Paula Kraljić — University Hospital Dubrava, Zagreb, Croatia — ORCID: 0000-0002-1243-2017
Keywords
parenteral nutrition, enteral nutrition, cachexia, nutritional status
DOI
https://doi.org/10.15836/ccar2018.501Full Text
Heart failure (HF) becomes an increasingly public health problem. Continued “aging” of the population leads to an increasing prevalence of HF in the population. There are three basic models of treatment for HF. Conservative treatment for patients with a lower HF rate. If the patient does not respond to pharmacological therapy, two methods of treatment remain: heart transplantation and mechanical circulation support. HF, along with other cardiac diseases, greatly affects many physical and psychological changes that can affect nutritional needs and nutritional status. One of common complication of patients with HF is cardiac cachexia. ( 1 ) An important part of healthcare is a regular assessment of the nutritional status of a cardiac patient. The role of a nurse is to teach and alert the patients to the importance of proper nutrition. ( 2 ) It is also important to plan meals, and dietary supplements; nutritional supplements that fall into the group of enteral nutrition, and nutritional supplements that are not administered by the transitional route, supplements from the parenteral diet group. Enteral nutrition includes a standard diet in consultation with the patient and nutritionist, also with various dietary adjustments to individual clinical requirements. Parenteral nutrition partly or fully satisfies the daily intake of nutritional needs. Nutritional status is an important factor influencing the outcome and recovery from disease. The aim and purpose of this paper is to focus on the importance of enteral and parenteral nutrition in the terminal phase of HF.