Intravenous nutrition and hepatic dysfunction

Abnormalities in biochemical liver function tests in 127 general surgical patients who had a course of intravenous nutrition have been reviewed. Only 26 patients had liver function tests considered to be normal on commencing intravenous nutrition and they were included in this retrospective study. During intravenous nutrition the most sensitive biochemical test of liver dysfunction was gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase--all patients having an elevated gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase level by week 4. Most abnormalities were transient whereas the elevation of alkaline phosphatase was prolonged beyond week 9. Patients with major sepsis were found to have almost double the incidence of abnormal liver function test values compared with patients with no evidence of sepsis. Only patients who were transfused more than 8 units of blood showed a significant rise in bilirubin. Liver function tests in patients who received smaller transfusions showed no difference from patients who did not receive any blood. Patients with below normal anthropometric measurements on commencing intravenous nutrition were more likely to develop abnormalities in aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase.