• Walter Daveluy, Dominique Guimber, Karine Mention, Dominique Lescut, Laurent Michaud, Dominique Turck, and Frédéric Gottrand.
• Unité de Gastroentérologie, Hépatologie et Nutrition, Clinique de Pédiatrie, Centre Hospitalier Regional Universitaire de Lille, France. walterd@netcourrier.com
• Clin Nutr. 2005 Feb 1; 24 (1): 48-54.

Background & AimsWe report our experience of paediatric home enteral nutrition, as there is little detailed evidence published.MethodsAll patients younger than 18 years commencing treatment between January 1990 and December 2000 were included in this retrospective study.ResultsThe study covered 416 children and adolescents, corresponding to a total of 243,844 days of home enteral nutrition (HEN). The mean (+/-SD) age of patients commencing treatment was 5.4+/-5.3 years (range 0.1-17.8). Indications were digestive disorders in 35% of patients, neurological and muscular disorders in 35%, malignancy in 11%, failure to thrive in 8%, and miscellaneous ailments in 9%. Enteral feeding comprised commercially available paediatric industrial diets in 36%, adult-type diet in 35% and infant formulas in 29%. Children received enteral feeding by nasogastric tube (53%), or gastrostomy (41%). A mechanical pump was used in 98% of the patients. The mean duration of treatment was 595+/-719 days.ConclusionsHEN can be used while treating a large group of chronic diseases of children. It can be started very early in life and is often prolonged over several years.

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