Enteral feeding: Drug/nutrient interaction

Enteral nutrition support via a feeding tube is the first choice for artificial nutrition. Most patients also require simultaneous drug therapy, with the potential risk for drug–nutrient interactions which may become relevant in clinical practice. During enteral nutrition, drug–nutrient interactions are more likely to occur than in patients fed orally. However, there is a lack of awareness about its clinical significance, which should be recognised and prevented in order to optimise nutritional and pharmacological therapeutic goals of safety and efficacy. Learning objectives:• To raise the awareness of potential drug–nutrient interactions and influence on clinical outcomes.• To identify factors that can promote drug–nutrient interactions and contribute to nutrition and/or therapeutic failure.• To be aware of different types of drug–nutrient interactions.• To understand complex underlying mechanisms responsible for drug–nutrient interactions.• To learn basic rules for the administration of medications during tube-feeding.