Postmortem findings in three patients treated with intravenous fat emulsions

Three patients died of intercurrent illness in relation to intravenous nutrition with fat emulsions (20% Intralipid). In two cases, postmortem findings showed milky white, shiny, clotted lumps in the heart, with a fatty acid composition resembling that of fat emulsions. In vitro investigations make it likely that fibrin deposits in hyperlipemic plasma composed the lumps. In two cases, 30- to 50-mu Sudan-positive accumulations were found in the small vessels of the lungs, the cerebrum, and the kidneys.