Cyclic parenteral nutrition in hospitalized adult patients: a 9-year experience

We are reporting our 9-year experience of cyclic parenteral nutrition with 200 in-patients (mean age 52 years) treated 64 +/- (SEM)3 days (range: 15-230) for Gl diseases. During the first period (A, n = 38), all-in-one nutritive bags with intralipid 10% were used; in a second period (B, n = 135), intralipid 10% was infused separately over the first 6 h of nutrition; in the final period (C, n = 27), Intralipid 20% was used in all-in-one nutritive bags. Indications for parenteral nutrition were non-malignant digestive diseases in 89.5% of the cases. The frequency of complications appearing during cyclic parenteral nutrition was the following: catheter-related sepsis 8%, catheter obstruction 8%, hypertriglyceridemia 33%, hypercholesterolemia 14.7%, liver function test abnormalities 28% and biliary sludge and/or lithiasis 31.6%. 5 patients, with chronic obstructive small bowel disease, developed jaundice with no identifiable cause other than parenteral nutrition. The prevalence of catheter obstruction significantly decreased (P < 0.01) during period B, as compared with periods A and C. The prevalence of liver function test abnormalities decreased significantly (P < 0.01) during periods B and C, as compared with period A. Mortality rate related to cyclic parenteral nutrition was 3%. These results suggest that a) the separate infusion of lipid emulsion reduces the prevalence of catheter obstruction; b) as compared with 10% intralipid in all-in-one nutritive bags, the separate infusion of 10% Intralipid or the 20% Intralipid given in all-in-one nutritive bags is associated with a decreased prevalence of liver function test abnormalities; c) chronic small intestine obstruction seems to play a key role in parenteral-associated jaundice.