[Parenteral nutrition at home. National and Scandinavian organization and team work]

Long term parenteral nutrition is lifesaving in a few patients with severe gastrointestinal failure. Such therapy is often carried out at home (Home parenteral nutrition, HPN) and based on a high degree of self-care. The risk of complications is high, and it requires a considerable skill and experience from the hospital staff to manage HPN and educate patients. The prevalence of such patients in the Nordic countries is 3-4 per million. In some Nordic countries it is impossible to centralize this treatment only to one or two hospitals. With such a small number of patients scattered all over the country it is therefore important to establish a national co-operation and registration regarding HPN-patients. This will increase experience with HPN and make it possible to standardize the therapy with regards to indications, catheter technique, nutritional supply, management of complications, education etc. Furthermore it is a wish to expand this co-operation and registration to include all Nordic countries. Such multinational co-operation might be of value in cases of rare and difficult patients on HPN and in children and will further increase our experience with HPN. Results from a meeting on Nordic co-operation concerning HPN is presented.