Clinical nutrition : official journal of the European Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition
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The biochemical status of 152 patients in the Intensive Therapy Unit (ITU) was examined in relation to their clinical outcome. Patients who died in ITU or within one week of discharge were found to have significantly poorer riboflavin status than those who survived, but the majority of these measurements were within the normal range. Normal ranges established on a healthy population may therefore not be appropriate in investigation of vitamin nutritional status in seriously ill patients. These results do however suggest that riboflavin status is a risk factor in critically ill patients, and that subclinical riboflavin depletion may affect outcome.
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To determine the influence of peripheral parenteral nutrition (PPN) on the incidence of phlebitis and the effect of simultaneous infusion of lipid emulsion, 68 surgical patients were assigned randomly to 3 nutrition groups: (1) amino-acid 4% solution and dextrose 8% (AA + DX) + Intralipid (IL) 10% in the ratio 1.5:1 (2) AA + DX and IL 20% in the ratio 3:1 (3) AA + DX alone. Group 4 (control group) consisted of 25 patients receiving maintenance solutions and iso-osmotic drugs. No filters were used. ⋯ This is probably due to the lower osmolality and lower DX and K concentrations of the solution with IL 10%. Intralipid 20% does not have the same protective venous effect. The lower complication rate, the limited need for nursing, and lower costs compared to central parenteral nutrition, make PPN a safe nutrition technique for up to 10 days in patients needing no volume restriction.