Nina,

Yes, your description of "residuals" is correct.  I am not sure how others
deal with residuals, but where I work, if the residual amount is less than a
quarter of the total feeding volume, it is typically returned to the infant
and then the infant is fed as usual.  If the residual amount is more than a
quarter of the total feed volume, it is often discarded and then the infant
is fed.  Of course if the infant is showing any other signs of feeding
intolerance such as  very large residual amounts, bloody stools, a change in
vital signs, increasing abdominal girth or a change in demeanor, then
further evaluation is warranted and the feeding is held until a
neonatologist or other practitioner okays the baby to eat.

Christina Harris, RN
Washington state, U.S.A.

On Dec 21, 2007 12:52 PM, Nina Berry <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> For those of us not working in medical settings, TPN is Total Parenteral
> Nutrition (intravenous feeding) and 'trophic feeds' are very small feeds
> used to assess feed tolerance in premature infants. I am thinking that
> 'residuals' are that protion of the feed that remains undigested some time
> after feeding but that would be a guess and I am not sure how one would
> manage them.
> Nina Berry
> Australia
>
>
>
>
>
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