Lack of enteral nutrition during critical illness is associated with profound decrements in biliary lipid concentrations.
BACKGROUND
Food in the intestine drives the enterohepatic circulation of bile components.


OBJECTIVE
We investigated whether parenteral or enteral delivery of nutrients alters serum and biliary lipids in critically ill patients.


METHODS
Eight intensive care unit (ICU) patients who had received >/= 5 d of total parenteral nutrition (TPN) were compared with 8 ICU patients who had fasted for >/=5 d. Both groups were studied before and after 5 d of enteral nutrition (EN). Each patient served as his or her own control. Duodenal bile was analyzed for biliary lipid content and serum lipids were determined simultaneously. Duodenal bile samples from 18 healthy persons served as controls.


RESULTS
Bile salt concentrations in all ICU patients were 17% of control values before EN (P < 0.005) and 34% of control values after 5 d of EN (P < 0.005). Phospholipid concentrations were 12% of control before EN (P < 0. 0005) but increased almost 4-fold after EN (P < 0.0005). Biliary cholesterol concentrations were 20% of control values before EN (P < 0.001) and did not improve afterward. No difference in bile composition was observed between fasted ICU patients and those who received TPN. The inverse correlation between the severity of illness and biliary lipid concentrations observed before EN disappeared with enteric stimulation. The low serum concentrations of HDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein A-I increased significantly with EN in all ICU patients.


CONCLUSIONS
Lack of EN during critical illness was associated with profound decrements in biliary lipid concentrations that normalized partially after 5 d of EN. We hypothesize that loss of enteric stimulation in ICU patients impairs hepatic lipid metabolism.
Departments of Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Endocrinology and Metabolism, and Intensive Care, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. jmdevree@amc.uva.nl
J M
JM
de Vree
J A
JA
Romijn
K S
KS
Mok
L M
LM
Mathus-Vliegen
C P
CP
Stoutenbeek
J D
JD
Ostrow
G N
GN
Tytgat
H P
HP
Sauerwein
R P
RP
Oude Elferink
A K
AK
Groen
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016632:Apolipoprotein A-I / Q000378:metabolism; D001646:Bile / Q000737:chemistry*; D001647:Bile Acids and Salts / Q000032:analysis; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D016638:Critical Illness; D004386:Duodenum / Q000378:metabolism; D004750:Enteral Nutrition; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D008055:Lipids / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010289:Parenteral Nutrition, Total
D016632:Apolipoprotein A-I; D001647:Bile Acids and Salts; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008055:Lipids