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Parenteral nutrition: ethical and legal considerations

¹ Department of General and Geriatric Medicine, Northwick Park Hospital, Harrow, UK
² Imperial College School of Medicine, London, UK
³ Department of Gastroenterology, St Mark’s Hospital, Harrow, UK

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr S M Gabe
Department of Gastroenterology, St Mark’s Hospital, Watford Road, Harrow HA1 3UJ, UK; s.gabe{at}imperial.ac.uk

ABSTRACT
Parenteral nutrition is an expensive therapeutic modality that is used to treat patients with intestinal failure. The benefit it offers in terms of life prolongation needs to be weighed against its risks and burdens. Through the use of descriptive clinical vignettes, this article illustrates the ethical and legal principles that underpin decisions to administer and, more importantly, to withhold or withdraw parenteral nutrition.

Keywords: parenteral nutrition; decision making; ethics; law