Clearly, more research is needed to study the potential cost savings and clinical effectiveness of these formulas. Whether your facility offers patients immune-enhancing enteral formulas or not, it is important that you know when to begin the feedings and how to prevent complications. For example, the section on when to initiate tube feedings suggests, Tube feedings are generally given to critically ill patients who can't eat by mouth or who have a disease that has caused severe anorexia. Feedings should begin within 48 hours of surgery or injury or after patients have been adequately resuscitated and are no longer hypovolemic. Delaying feedings any longer than that can cause a variety of problems.
Registration is required, but it is free.
This is a good site to bookmark for future research needs. The search provides three listings. The first listing is for essential crystalline amino acid solution. This is a sterile, nonpyrogenic solution that also contains histidine. Many others are available to nurses that provide a wealth of information.