Artificial nutrition and bioethics issues: medical therapy or basic assistance?

Background: Artificial nutrition provides nutrients artificially to those patients who cannot take food by mouth because of their pathological condition. Artificial nutrition is the therapeutical approach in case of protein-energy malnutrition, which is secondary to many conditions which do not allow to take food by mouth. In the last years the use of artificial nutrition has increased, both in hospitals and in the territory, because of the improvement of techniques and of the increasing knowledge of doctors and people and an increasing number of conditions benefit from it. In a temporary or permanent way, artificial nutrition sets important bioethical issues, as it substitutes the function deficit of the gastroenteric system, which is in charge of natural food intake. It is understandable that in human conscience and culture, food and drinking are very strictly related to life more than any other vital function. This concept is stressed by the phrase: €˜â€˜Give drink to the thirsty and food to the starving'', that influences the Christian western culture we live in.
Materials and methods: The main documents produced by laymen, Italian Catholic Religion institutions, and scientific societies and the medical ethical code have been analyzed with particular attention to whether artificial nutrition should be considered as a medical therapy or as basic assistance, together with the different ethical consequences on its suspension.
Conclusions: Even if the doctor is not a specialist of the field and he has to deal with patients subject to artificial nutrition, he must be aware of the bioethical issues that this technique involves, in order to use it in the best way and to develop his own opinion towards it. The review of the documents presented here cannot be considered to be exhaustive, as this topic continuously evolves.