Fascicolo monotematico "La Nutrizione Artificiale"
Not only glucose, amino-acids and lipids: how we prescribe a patient tailored mixture for parenteral nutrition
Maria Immacolata Spagnuolo
1Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche Traslazionali, Sezione di Pediatria, Università Federico II, Napoli
Indications for Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN) are represented by all those conditions in which it is impossible to provide an adequate oral and /or enteral caloric intake. The TPN is made by infusing a mixture of amino acids, glucose, lipids, electrolytes, vitamins and trace elements, through a catheter placed in a central vein, in amounts sufficient to permit a positive nitrogen balance. In this document, attention is focused on formulation of the solution of parenteral nutrition (PN) with the ultimate goal to provide an approach to the preparation of a complex mixture. It is impossible to describe all the possible variations required by single patient. This document wants to be essentially a practical guide for the use of parenteral nutrition, providing useful tips for daily management of patients. Parenteral nutrition is constantly changing and therefore no text can be considered definitive.