Definition

Noun: 1. A medical procedure involving the administration of a complete nutritional solution directly into a large vein (typically the vena cava): This technique is used to provide nutrition to patients who cannot eat or absorb nutrients through their gastrointestinal tract for an extended period.

Usage and Examples

• Primary Usage: The term is used specifically in a clinical or medical context to describe a life-sustaining treatment.
  • The patient with severe intestinal failure required hyperalimentation to meet his nutritional needs.
  • After the major surgery, she was placed on hyperalimentation until her digestive system could function normally.

Advanced Usage and Notes

• Clinical Context: "Hyperalimentation" is a technical term used primarily by healthcare professionals. In more common medical parlance, this procedure is now often referred to as Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN). "Hyperalimentation" literally means "over-nourishment," but in practice, it refers to providing nourishment intravenously, not necessarily an excessive amount.
• Indications: Its use is indicated in specific severe medical conditions where enteral (through the gut) feeding is impossible, inadequate, or hazardous.

Variants and Related Words

• Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN) (n): The more contemporary and frequently used synonym for hyperalimentation.
• Parenteral Nutrition (PN) (n): A broader term that includes both total nutrition (TPN) and partial intravenous nutritional support.
• Intravenous Feeding (n): A less technical, descriptive term for the same concept.

Synonyms

• Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN)
• Intravenous feeding

Antonyms

• Enteral nutrition: Nutrition provided through the gastrointestinal tract, such as oral feeding or tube feeding.
• Oral feeding: The normal intake of food by mouth.

Noun

1. administration of a nutritionally adequate solution through a catheter into the vena cava; used in cases of long-term coma or severe burns or severe gastrointestinal syndromes