Clinical improvement following home parenteral nutrition in pediatric patients with intestinal failure.
OBJECTIVE
Home parenteral nutrition (HPN) is being increasingly used to treat children with intestinal failure. This study evaluated the long-term growth, outcome and complications in Taiwanese pediatric patients with intestinal failure who were treated with HPN.


METHODS
This retrospective study included 27 consecutive pediatric patients with intestinal failure who received long-term HPN between 1987 and 2002. These patients were categorized into two groups according to whether they had short bowel syndrome or a bowel motility disorder. Growth, prognosis and complications, including cholestasis, hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia and infections were compared between the two groups.


RESULTS
The median age of starting HPN was significantly younger in patients with short bowel syndrome (5 months) than in patients with motility disorders (1.9 years). The median duration of HPN treatment in the overall group was 13.5 months (range, 2.1-113.1 months); weight and height increased 1.7 +/- 2.3 and 1.0 +/- 1.6 in z score, respectively. The most common complications were cholestatic liver disease (52%), hypoglycemia (15%) and hyperglycemia (33%). All patients maintained stable serum glucose levels at follow-up. Cholestatic liver disease developed after 2.3 +/- 2.0 months of total HPN in 13 patients, which subsided after 9.7 +/- 6.9 months in 11 patients, while two patients died. The mean incidence of central venous infection was 3.0 +/- 3.3 per 1000 HPN days. The most common pathogens were Staphylococcus spp. (50%) and Candida spp. (30.6%).


CONCLUSIONS
HPN treatment can successfully provide a bridge to enteral nutrition in pediatric patients with intestinal failure. The metabolic disturbances and cholestasis are usually transient, but infection control is important throughout the period of HPN treatment.
Tung
Yi-Ching
YC
Department of Pediatrics, National Taiwan University Hospital and College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei.
Ni
Yen-Hsuan
YH
Lai
Hong-Shiee
HS
Hsieh
Der-Yirng
DY
Chang
Mei-Hwei
MH
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003109:Colonic Diseases, Functional / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D005769:Gastrointestinal Motility; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D016331:Parenteral Nutrition, Home / Q000009:adverse effects; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012778:Short Bowel Syndrome / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome