Use of intravenous lipids: what do the guidelines say?

The use of intravenous lipids is very frequent in most parenteral nutrition (PN) prescriptions. In this chapter, a systematic review of the literature was performed to compare the position of the various scientific societies (mainly the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism, the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, and the German and Canadian Nutrition Societies) in terms of recommendations of when intravenous lipids should be prescribed for different clinical conditions. These recommendations may be supported by strong evidence or, if not available, by expert opinion. These recommendations help the physician in his daily prescription of PN in the hospital and help the patient requiring home PN.