What is parenteral treatment?

Overview. Parenteral nutrition, often called total parenteral nutrition, is the medical term for infusing a specialized form of food through a vein (intravenously). The goal of the treatment is to correct or prevent malnutrition.

Administration by injection (parenteral administration) includes the following routes:

• Subcutaneous (under the skin)
• Intramuscular (in a muscle)
• Intravenous (in a vein)
• Intrathecal (around the spinal cord)

The definition of a parenteral is Medicine or liquid that is injected under the skin. An example of a parenteral is the arthritis medication, Enbrel. (medicine) Taken into the body or administered in a manner other than through the digestive tract, as by intravenous or intramuscular injection.

Medical Definition of parenteral

(Entry 1 of 2) : Situated or occurring outside the intestine Parenteral drug administration by intravenous, intramuscular, or subcutaneous injection especially : introduced otherwise than by way of the intestines enteric versus parenteral feeding.

There are five commonly used routes of parenteral (route other than digestive tract) administration: Subcutaneous (SC/SQ), intraperitoneal (IP), intravenous (IV), intrader- mal (ID), and intramuscular (IM). Not all techniques are appropriate for each species.

Parenteral drug administration means any non-oral means of administration, but is generally interpreted as relating to injecting directly into the body, bypassing the skin and mucous membranes.

There are four potential routes of parenteral injections, including intradermal (IM), subcutaneous (SQ), intramuscular (IM), and intravenous (IV).

Advantages of Parenteral Route of Administration:

Rapid absorption and faster onset of action of the drug. The medication bypasses the liver first pass effect. No risk of degradation of the drug by digestive juices. Suitable for unconscious patients.

Nonparenteral. Nonparenteral is the route that Oral medications (pills, capsules, syrups), topical medications (ointments, patches like nitro), and suppositories (vaginal and rectal) Are administered. This route includes: Oral (medications are taken by mouth and absorbed into the system through the digestive system.

Disadvantages of parenteral preparations to the patient include Lack of drug reversal, risk of infection and emboli, risk of hypersensitivity reactions, and cost.

People whose digestive systems either can’t absorb or can’t tolerate adequate food eaten by mouth Use parenteral nutrition. When used outside the hospital, intravenous feeding is called home parenteral nutrition. Using home parenteral nutrition may be necessary for weeks or months, or in some cases for life.

In general, enteral nutrition is preferred to parenteral nutrition as It is more physiological, simpler, cheaper and less complicated. However even nasogastric feeding needs care and the more complex types of enteral nutrition such as gastrostomy and jejunostomy need significant interventions.

The parenteral preparations are intended to be administrated through the human or animal body, either by direct injections (for example, Bolus intravenous (IV), intramuscular (IM) or subcutaneous (SC)) or by infusion with a controlled infusion rate or by direct implantation through IM or SC.

Parenteral drug administration can be taken literally to mean any non-oral means of drug administration, but it is generally interpreted as relating to injection directly into the body, by-passing the skin and mucous membranes. The common routes of parenteral administration are Intramuscular (IM), subcutaneous and IV.