High Dose Intravenous Fish Oil Reduces Inflammation-A Retrospective Tale from Two Centers

Patients on parenteral nutrition (PN) are prone to inflammation. This may aggravate an existing proinflammatory state and become a critical factor in the development of liver dysfunction (LD). Intravenous fish oil may attenuate this inflammatory state, but data on its use in adults are scarce. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of adding a pure fish oil intravenous lipid emulsion (ILE) into short- and long-term PN in patients either at risk of, or with existing, inflammation.

A retrospective analysis of 61 patients (32 female, 29 male, mean age 51.5 ± 12.6 years) who received all-in-one PN, including amino acids, glucose, and lipids supplemented with pure fish oil ILE, was performed. Pure fish oil ILE (Omegaven®, Fresenius Kabi, Bad Homburg, Germany) was used along with the standard ILE to reach a fish oil dose of 0.4-0.5 g fish oil/kg/d. Diagnoses were chronic intestinal failure (CIF, n = 20), Crohn's disease (CD, n = 22), and ulcerative colitis (UC, n = 19). The observation period was 12 months for CIF and 21 days for UC and CD.

A reduction in inflammation was noticeable in all patients and became statistically significant in CD (hsCRP p < 0.0001, ESR p = 0.0034, procalcitonin p = 0.0014, Il-6 p = 0.001) and UC groups (hsCRP and ESR p < 0.0001, Il-6 p = 0.0001, TNF-α p = 0.0113). In the CIF group, the total bilirubin concentration (p = 0.2157) and aspartate transaminase SGOT (p = 0.1785) did not vary over time.

PN with pure fish oil ILE reduces some inflammatory parameters in IBD and maintains liver function parameters in CIF patients. Fish oil might become a valuable ingredient in both short- and long-term PN in patients at risk of liver dysfunction.