NUTRITION AND DIETETICS

Evaluate and support the nutritional needs of patients to optimize treatments.

Nutritional management is a priority in our establishment.

It concerns patients with eating disorders related to cancer or specific treatments that may lead to malnutrition or obesity.

The disease and associated treatments increase your energy needs and can cause digestive disorders. The large number of patients at the CAL with tumors in the ENT region led the team to develop a preventative approach towards the risk of malnutrition.

There are various strategies:

  • personalized health and dietary advice
  • nutritional supports (oral supplementation, enteral nutrition, parenteral nutrition).

The mobile nutrition team composed of doctors, nurses, dieticians and medical assistants, is at your disposal to advise you throughout your care and to offer a treatment adapted to the problem encountered.

During your hospitalization, a dietician will meet you to help adapt your meals in line with your preferences and your ability to swallow.

When you return home, your nutritional care continues with a local health care team (attending physician, nurse, dietitian, service provider) and in collaboration with dieticians and nutritionists at the Center during scheduled outpatient visits.

The nutrition team is reachable from Monday to Friday from 9 am to 5 pm at 04 92 03 15 46.

ORAL SUPPLEMENTS

Oral supplementation provides additional calories, proteins, vitamins and minerals in addition to the usual diet.

This is required when the oral food intake is less than 2/3 of the patient’s energy needs.

Oral supplementation now offers a wide range of products in the form of milk drinks, fruit juices, creams, compotes, soups and mixed dishes, pasta, semolina.

ENTERAL NUTRITION

Enteral nutrition (a nutrient solution which goes directly into the digestive tract, stomach or small intestine, using a probe) is used:

  • in malnourished patients or those at risk of becoming so, with a functioning digestive tract but unable to cover their protein-energy needs by oral route
  • preoperatively: in the case of severe malnutrition before major surgery
  • postoperatively: if oral refeeding is deemed impossible for at least 7 days.

PARENTERAL NUTRITION

Parenteral nutrition is intravenous administration of nutrients from the 4 major families: carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and “water – electrolytes – micronutrients” combined.

It is used when the patient’s condition does not allow resumption of enteral or oral feeding.