Parenteral nutrition with a "breast milk adapted" solution of amino acids in infants and children after abdominal surgery

Abstract

Plasma amino acid levels as well as urinary and plasma concentrations of nitrogen were determined in 24 infants and 12 children on five consecutive days after major abdominal surgery. Parenteral nutrition was carried out by means of two different amino acid solutions. One formula (PE) was based on the amino acid composition of potato-egg protein, the other (BM) on that of human breast milk. Control subjects received glucose only. The controls showed decreased plasma levels of most amino acids as well as negative nitrogen balances. In contrast, in the patients treated with amino acids the plasma concentrations of most amino acids were found in the normal range. In the infants elevated plasma amino acid levels were found more often in the BM-group than in the PE-group. Among the children, however, the PE-group showed an elevation in the plasma levels of amino acids more frequently than the BM-group. There is no significant difference in the positive nitrogen balance between the BM-groups and the PE-groups. Therefore, it can be concluded that the use of BM has no clear advantage over that of PE.