Nutritional support in the management of external fistulas of the alimentary tract.

A total of 56 patients with 65 fistulas was treated using one or a combination of three modern nutritional acids. Fifty-two of the fistulas (80 per cent) closed spontaneously and only 7 fistulas (10-8 per cent) required attempts at operative closure. The overall mortality was 7 patients (12-5 per cent), which compared favourably with a 40 per cent mortality in an earlier comparable group which had not received such nutrition.