Enterocutaneous and Enteroatmospheric Fistulas

Polk and Schwab recently published an excellent article about enterocutaneous and enteroatmospheric fistulas in the October 2011 issue of the World Journal of Surgery. Their article is titled "Metabolic and nutritional support of the enterocutaneous fistula patient: a three-phase approach." They address the history and current management patients with fistulas with a focus on the nutritional management. By breaking down the management of these patients into three phases, they add clarity to a complex clinical scenario. The three phases are: Phase 1 - Diagnosis, resuscitation, and early interval nutrition; Phase 2 - Definition of anatomy, drainage, nutritional assessment and monitoring and feeding access; and Phase 3 Definitive nutritional management. The link below is to the abstract for this article.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22033622