Final answer:
Medicare approved indications for HPN include conditions like delayed gastric emptying, where patients cannot digest food properly due to impaired gastric motility. HPN serves as an alternative route to deliver essential nutrients intravenously, which is crucial for patients suffering from malnutrition due to various medical conditions.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Medicare approved indications for home parenteral nutrition (HPN) do cater to a range of medical conditions where enteral nutrition is not feasible. One of these conditions includes delayed gastric emptying, also known as gastroparesis. Home parenteral nutrition becomes a critical treatment option when a patient's gastrointestinal tract cannot adequately process nutrients due to slowed or impaired gastric motility. By receiving nutrition intravenously, patients bypass the malfunctioning digestive system ensuring they meet their specific nutritional requirements. Medical foods, such as liquid formulas for various health issues including kidney and liver diseases, are designed for enteric administration, but when a patient's condition progresses to where they cannot utilize enteral nutrition, HPN becomes necessary.
To further define the context, malnutrition refers to the insufficient, excessive, or imbalanced consumption of nutrients. Different types of malnutrition include undernutrition, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, and overnutrition. Since patients on HPN often suffer from malnutrition due to their underlying conditions, HPN provides essential nutrients directly into the bloodstream, thereby addressing their specific nutritional deficits.