[Home and ambulatory artificial nutrition. Parenteral nutrition. The NADYA Group]

In recent years and increase in the use of parenteral nutrition in the home, as an alternative to covering the nutritional needs of patients incapable of covering them orally or enterally and who do not require hospitalization, is being seen. The number of patients undergoing treatment with, or as candidates for, this specialized nutritional support in Spain, is unknown. The data of 39 patients from 10 therapeutic teams at the national level, have been collected and evaluated. With an average age of 42 years, 54% were male. The pathology which most frequently indicated a need for at home parenteral nutrition was mesenteric thrombosis, followed by intestinal inflammatory disease (24 and 18%). The indication was definite in 54% of the cases. The blood vessel most frequently accessed was the subclavian (73%), preferently using tunneled catheters of the Hickman type (53%), and scarcely using the implanted type (6%). Practically all patients receive individualized formulas, adapted to their nutritional needs. The infusion is nocturnal in 65% of the cases, and only 58% of the cases use an infusion pump. IN the majority of cases, the supply of the formulas as well as the infusion material, is taken on entirely by the reference hospital which also takes care of the follow up of the patient. An adequate network of distribution which enables the patient to access this material in his usual environment, is not available. An improvement in quality of life and nutritional state is seen in the evaluated patients, of which 41% finished treatment (transitory indications), 23% had died, and the rest continued treatment.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)