Treatment of Hyperemesis Gravidarum With Nasogastric Feeding

Hyperemesis gravidarum, an antepartem disorder characterized by severe nausea and vomiting, is usually a benign condition with a favorable outcome. Although no increase in fetal or maternal morbidity results, the disorder has deleterious effects on both nutrition and everyday life. The authors describe a treatment protocol for hyperemesis gravidarum that uses continuous infusion of an iso-osmolar tube-feeding product and their experiences with its use in 30 patients. Uniformly good symptom relief was obtained by this technique, thus avoiding the need for more invasive therapy. It is proposed that this treatment is a safe and effective means of managing severe nausea and vomiting during early pregnancy.