Nutritional assessment as a quality control of total parenteral nutrition

Because no single index can characterize a patient's nutritional status, a complete assessment requires a profile of different parameters. This profile incorporates various tests, measurements, and derived parameters, which have been established and adapted to clinical use for identifying the malnourished state, providing guidelines for nutritional support and evaluating the response to nutritional therapy. The quantitative value of anthropometric measurements (weight, triceps skinfold thickness, arm muscle circumference), biochemical determinations (creatinine-height index, serum albumin, serum transferrin total lymphocyte count). Immunological evaluations (skin antigen testing) and their importance in the classification of malnutrition are being discussed. Considerable attention is drawn on monitoring the nutritional assessment by serial measurements. So, a dynamic pattern of the patient's response to parenteral nutritional therapy can be evaluated and a more scientific base is found for determining the nutritional needs for any specific patient.