An important component in the process of treatment and recovery of neurosurgical patients is the provision of foods that meet their nutritional needs. injuries, psychological dysfunctions and stress often change the nutritional needs, the utilization of nutrients and fluids that are needed to meet the basic functions of the cells and for the recovery of the injured tissue. injured tissues require more protein, carbohydrates, fat, water and oxygen than healthy, uninjured tissue. Nutritional changes caused by the disease directly affect adequate nutrition and normal bodily function.

Patients with neurological disorders may have disorders of the level of consciousness, or paresis/paralysis of the chewing and swallowing muscles, which prevents adequate food intake. Taking into account the above-mentioned factors together with the effect of the disease on other systems, a special complexity is created in meeting the nutritional needs of the neurosurgical patient. Approaching the patient holistically, nutritional needs must not be neglected considering that the patient will not recover without adequate nutritional support.

Critically ill adults in the intensive care unit (ICU) are at increased risk of impaired nutritional status, because the body responds to serious illness by increasing metabolism. Also, feeding routines can be disrupted because patients are unconscious or too weak to feed or eat normally. This means that alternative feeding methods should be used to ensure adequate nutrition for the patient. Patients can be given artificial nutrition in three ways: enteral nutrition through the digestive system (through a tube placed in the stomach or small intestine); parenteral nutrition through the circulatory system (through a tube inserted into a vein, nutrients enter the bloodstream directly); or through a combination of both ways. This systematic review compares the effectiveness of these feeding methods.