Delivery of vitamins E and C from parenteral alimentation solution

We have previously shown that substantial losses of fat-soluble (FS) vitamin A from parenteral alimentation solution occur due to adsorption in the intravenous tubing and photodegradation in the bottle. This study assessed the delivery of other vitamins, viz, FS vitamin E and water-soluble (WS) vitamin C, from parenteral alimentation solution. The solution containing 2.0 ml/L of an aqueous multivitamin infusion was infused at a constant rate of 10 ml/h using a standard intravenous administration set. Multiple aliquots of the solution from the bottle and the effluent obtained sequentially in a 24-h period were analyzed for concentrations of vitamins E and C. Both vitamins remained relatively stable in the bottle. A significant amount (12%) of vitamin E was lost in the intravenous tubing. No losses of vitamin C were incurred in the intravenous tubing. The data suggest that delivery of FS vitamin E from parenteral alimentation solutions is less than optimum because of adsorptive losses. Similar losses are not encountered with WS vitamin C.