title: Parenteral nutrition.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The past 12 months have seen advances in the safe use of intravenous nutrition and its place in the therapeutic armamentarium.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Complications of intravenous nutrition and proposed optimal strategies to avoid them are considered, with particular attention to the hazards of hyperglycaemia. Intravenous nutrition in certain specified conditions is addressed, including its minor role in advanced malignancy. New details on the effects of amended lipid emulsions are presented, together with a meta-analysis of growth hormone and glutamine.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Parenteral nutrition needs attention to detail if it is to be employed safely and effectively. Special care should be taken to maintain blood glucose in the normal range. There are currently insufficient data to warrant wholesale switching to novel lipid emulsions or the global use of glutamine or growth hormone.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Clinical Nutrition, University College Hospital, London, UK. a.forbes@ucl.ac.uk
authors.forename: Alastair
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Forbes
mesh_terms: D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis*; D004655:Emulsions; D005260:Female; D005973:Glutamine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006801:Humans; D006943:Hyperglycemia / Q000628:therapy; D008055:Lipids / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008297:Male; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000628:therapy; D010288:Parenteral Nutrition / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000592:standards*; D018805:Sepsis / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D004655:Emulsions; D008055:Lipids; D005973:Glutamine; D013006:Growth Hormone