This is an up-to-date review on Chronic Intestinal Failure (CIF) and Parenteral Nutrition (PN) as a management strategy for CIF. CIF and long-term PN are important subjects, but are superficially covered in undergraduate curricula due to the perception that they are relatively specialist areas. PN, as well as being a form of acute nutritional support, is used as a life-sustaining measure for patients with CIF due to conditions such as bowel ischaemia and Crohn's disease. Currently, around 500

more »

... tients receive long-term PN in the UK and the numbers are expected to rise with the aging population 1 . It is a costly service, requiring a multidisciplinary team effort, along with high frequency patienthealthcare interaction. This article aims to discuss the current evidence on the causes, management and prognosis of CIF, with a particular focus on PN as a form of nutritional management. While PN seems to improve the prognosis of patients with CIF from a medical point of view, we will also explore how it affects other aspects of a patient's life, such as their social life and mental health.