This course discusses metabolic complications of parenteral nutrition and their treatment. The goals for providing parenteral nutrition support include fluid and weight maintenance, protein stores preservation and restoration, metabolic stability, and support toward the improvement of both clinical outcomes and quality of life. Central or total parenteral nutrition (TPN) is safely and effectively administered in both institutional and home care settings. Standardized protocols and setting-specific protocols guide the clinician and nutrition support team to provide TPN safely through

1) anticipation and prevention of complications and
2) identification of markers of complications allowing prompt and effective resolution.

Nutrition support regimens take into consideration many individual conditions in determining use, access, formulation, and schedules for monitoring, including life cycle and metabolic conditions.[1] Complications of TPN include mechanical/technical, infectious, and metabolic challenges. Each type of complication can contribute to the decline of patient health status. Careful monitoring by experienced clinicians can reduce the incidence and severity of TPN-related complications. This course will review metabolic complications encountered early in the feeding process and later with chronic parenteral nutrition infusion.  

Learning Objectives:

Objectives

Upon completion of this course the learner will be able to:

1. List three categories of metabolic complications in TPN.
2. Identify at least one marker in each of three categories of metabolic complications.
3. List appropriate interventions for at least two metabolic complications.
4. Describe one category of patients who may be at higher risk for TPN-related metabolic complications.

----------------------------