[The effect of the TPN formulation on the the metabolic response to preoperative feeding in malnourished patients]

There has long existed proof that complications and mortality in patients suffering from malnutrition can be reduced by subjecting them to parenteral nutrition prior to surgery. However, it is also true that some patients do not show an improvement, and in fact that their condition worsens after artificial forced feeding during the preoperative period. Presentation of the preliminary results of a randomized prospective study performed on two groups of patients with malnutrition who were fed with different formula of parenteral nutrition. The aim was to investigate the influence of the water, sodium and glucose content of the diet on weight gain, the balance of water and sodium and changes in the concentration of albumin. 14 patients on whom major surgery was to be performed were studied over a 10-day period. Patients with metabolic alterations were excluded. The patients were randomized and some received a standard formula of parenteral nutrition and others a modified formula. It was shown that parenteral nutrition composition may have an important effect on the nutritional response in patients suffering from malnutrition. The intravenous modified diet, formulated in accordance with theoretical weight parameters, was proved to be more advantageous compared with a formula containing standard levels of water, sodium and glucose.