Prolonged parenteral nutrition for cystic fibrosis patients

Abstract

To evaluate the clinical impact of prolonged parenteral nutritional (PN) therapy on patients with advanced cystic fibrosis, we conducted a retrospective chart review of 25 cystic fibrosis patients who underwent prolonged PN (median course 295 days) at our institution between August 1988 and May 1992. The patients' survival status, change in percentage of ideal body weight, need for ongoing nutritional intervention, pulmonary function test changes, i.v. antibiotic use, and complication rates were assessed. Patients gained significant weight while receiving PN, but they lost weight when PN was discontinued. PN did not clearly improve pulmonary status. IV antibiotic therapy nearly doubled during PN. Central venous catheter sepsis rates rose from 1.29 to 3.45 per 1000 catheter days during PN therapy. In conclusion, prolonged PN promotes weight gain in cystic fibrosis patients with severe disease; however, the effect is transient and involves a significantly increased risk of sepsis.