Invited Review

The theory and practice of nutrition support has grown steadily over the past few decades, from initial experiments by Dudrick et al showing that intravenous nutrition was capable of supporting the nor-mal growth and development of beagle dogs to the cur-rent ability to support individuals receiving transplanted intestinal organs.1 There is no other area of medicine that better exemplifies the power of the multidisciplinary approach than the provision of nutrition support. The aim of this article is to describe the steps required to transition an individual from medical treat-ment requiring parenteral nutrition (PN) through the decision process leading up to successful intestinal trans-plantation. Continuity of care, an important facet of treatment that is often lost, can be established with a multidisciplinary approach to facilitate the transition from PN to intestinal transplantation. A case presenta-tion, a brief review of our institutional approach to both hospital and home usage of PN, intestinal rehabilitation patient selection, and the factors that lead to successful intestinal transplantation will be discussed