The Eccentricities of Nourishing the Infant With Abdominal Anomalies

Abstract

Infants born with congenital anomalies demand individualized nutritional evaluations and recommendations. The anatomical changes of neonatal surgical diseases create specific physiological constraints. This article reviews several nutrition-centered options to aid the medical provider caring for babies with common surgical diseases. The anatomical basis of these diseases, the objective of surgical repairs, and the nutritional constraints associated with both the disease and the repair are presented. Specific nutritional interventions designed to work with these constraints can favorably alter physiology to meet individualized needs. In this way, surgically informed nutritional therapy improves one's chances for successful postsurgical results.