Updates in Parenteral Nutrition

Parenteral nutrition (PN) represents an alternative or additional approach when other nutrition routes are not succeeding or when using other routes is not possible or would be unsafe. The main goal of PN is to deliver a nutrient mixture closely related to requirements in a safe manner and without complications. The concentration of parenteral solutions (PS) determines their osmolarity, according to which, the solutions will be infused by peripheral or central venous access. The solutions used in central PN contain more glucose, which, together with amino acids and electrolytes, determines a hyperosmolar solution, which has to be administered in a large caliber vein. Central venous access may be maintained over long periods of time. In peripheral PN there are used solutions with a lower concentration of dextrose in order to obtain (solutions with the) an osmolarity lower than 900 mOsm/L, which can be administered in a peripheral vein. Peripheral PN is used over short periods of time because of the limited tolerance for a long term of peripheral veins. PN is an efficient method to ensure the nutritional support which can be associated with numerous complications, some of them severe, with lethal potential. Patients with PN need a daily physical examination and laboratory tests