Understanding the Core Purpose of Fortini
Fortini is a medical food manufactured by Nutricia, a global leader in nutrition. It is not a standard supplement but a prescription-based nutritional solution designed for specific pediatric needs, primarily focusing on conditions like faltering growth and malnutrition. The core purpose of Fortini is to provide a calorically dense, nutritionally complete formula to help infants and children achieve adequate growth and development.
Key Nutritional Benefits
Fortini's formula offers several key benefits that make it suitable for its intended purpose:
- High Energy Content: Fortini formulas are energy-dense, providing more calories per ounce compared to standard formulas. This is crucial for infants and children with high energy requirements or those with fluid restrictions.
- Nutritionally Complete: The products are complete nutritional sources, containing the necessary vitamins, minerals, protein, and carbohydrates to support healthy growth. For example, Fortini Infant contains DHA and ARA for brain and eye development, and a prebiotic blend for gut and immune health.
- Easy on the Digestive System: Fortini is formulated to be gentle on sensitive digestive systems. Certain versions, like Fortini Multi Fibre, contain a blend of soluble and insoluble fibers that aid in improving bowel health, reducing diarrhea, and alleviating constipation.
- Designed for Specific Age Groups: Fortini is available in different formulations to cater to specific age ranges. Fortini Infant is for younger children (0–18 months), while other products are suitable for children aged 1–12 years or older.
Specific Uses and Medical Conditions
Fortini is prescribed by healthcare professionals for a variety of conditions where a child's nutritional intake is compromised. These include:
- Failure to Thrive (FTT): One of the most common applications is for infants and children diagnosed with FTT, a condition where a child’s weight or rate of weight gain is significantly lower than that of other children of similar age and sex. Fortini helps these children gain the necessary weight and achieve catch-up growth.
- Disease-Related Malnutrition: Children suffering from chronic diseases such as cystic fibrosis, congenital heart disease, or chronic lung disease often have increased energy needs and struggle to consume enough nutrients. Fortini helps manage this disease-related malnutrition.
- Increased Energy Requirements: For pediatric patients who require a higher caloric intake due to illness, injury, or surgery, Fortini provides concentrated calories without requiring a larger volume of food.
- Fluid Restrictions: In cases where a child's fluid intake must be limited, Fortini offers a high-energy density in a smaller volume, ensuring they still receive adequate nutrition.
- Crohn's Disease: Some versions of Fortini can be used as a sole source of dietary nutrition for children with Crohn's disease to provide bowel rest and promote healing.
- Neurological Syndromes: Children with neurological disabilities may have feeding difficulties, and Fortini provides a complete nutritional source that can be administered orally or via tube feeding.
How Fortini Compares to Standard Formulas
Fortini is not a typical over-the-counter formula; its unique composition sets it apart for targeted medical use.
| Feature | Fortini (Medical Food) | Standard Infant/Toddler Formula |
|---|---|---|
| Caloric Density | High (e.g., Fortini Infant is 30 kcal/fl oz) | Standard (typically 20 kcal/fl oz) |
| Primary Purpose | Catch-up growth, addressing malnutrition and FTT | General infant or child nutrition for healthy growth |
| Supervision | Requires medical supervision | Available over-the-counter for general use |
| Nutrient Balance | Calibrated specifically for high energy and protein needs | Balanced for average nutritional requirements |
| Target User | Infants/children with growth failure, chronic disease | Healthy infants and toddlers |
| Ease of Use | Often ready-to-feed; eliminates mixing errors | Requires mixing powder with water or is ready-to-feed |
The Administration and Tolerance of Fortini
Fortini is designed for easy administration and good tolerance in pediatric patients. It can be consumed orally, often with a variety of available flavors to improve palatability and compliance. It is also suitable for tube feeding, which is common for children who cannot meet their needs through oral intake.
Nutricia has conducted clinical studies demonstrating that Fortini is well-tolerated and effective for promoting catch-up growth in infants with growth failure. In critically ill infants, Fortini has been shown to result in more adequate nutrient intake and better energy and nitrogen balance compared to standard formulas.
Important Considerations
While Fortini is highly beneficial for its intended use, it is critical to use it under strict medical supervision. It is not suitable for all children, and there are specific contraindications. For example, it should not be used for infants under one year of age (with the exception of Fortini Infant) and is not suitable for patients with galactosaemia. It's also important to follow specific storage and preparation instructions to ensure safety and effectiveness. For comprehensive information, consult Nutricia's detailed product information sheet.
Conclusion
Fortini is a targeted, high-energy medical food used to combat malnutrition and faltering growth in pediatric patients. It provides a complete nutritional profile that is calorically dense and supports catch-up growth in a variety of challenging medical situations. Unlike standard formulas, its use requires medical supervision and is reserved for children with specific, diagnosed nutritional needs. By delivering concentrated calories and essential nutrients, Fortini helps children overcome growth setbacks and supports their journey toward thriving.
