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Nutrition in Clinical Practice, Vol. 22, No. 6, 664-672 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0115426507022006664

Clinical Observation

The Role of an Intravenous Fat Emulsion Composed of Fish Oil in a Parenteral Nutrition-Dependent Patient With Hypertriglyceridemia

Kathleen Gura, PharmD*, Robbert Strijbosch, MD*, Sarah Arnold, PharmD*, Christopher McPherson, PharmD{dagger} and Mark Puder, MD, PhD*

* Children's Hospital Boston, Boston, Massachusetts; and the {dagger} University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Correspondence: Kathleen Gura, PharmD, Children's Hospital Boston, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115. Electronic mail may be sent to kathleen.gura{at}childrens.harvard.edu.

Hypertriglyceridemia is a common complication in patients receiving parenteral nutrition (PN). Management typically involves withholding the IV fat emulsion (IVFE) until serum triglyceride levels normalize. In some instances, this practice may predispose patients to the development of essential fatty acid deficiency (EFAD) unless alternative therapies such as oral or topical oils are used. This is especially true in patients unable to tolerate enteral intake. We describe the management of hypertriglyceridemia in a 12-year-old boy dependent on PN who developed EFAD due to prolonged use of fat-free PN. His course was further complicated by PN-associated liver disease. Treatment involved the use of an IVFE derived from fish oils. Within 3 weeks, there was clinical improvement in EFAD and hypertriglyceridemia. The patient's triene:tetraene ratio decreased from 0.207 to 0.044 (normal: 0.013–0.05). Similarly, his serum triglyceride levels decreased from 628 mg/dL to 183 mg/dL (normal: <200 mg/dL). After 2 months of treatment, he was successfully transitioned to enteral feedings; hepatic function normalized, as did the essential fatty acid profile and serum triglycerides levels. This suggests that using fish-oil-based IVFE may be an effective alternative to conventional IVFE in PN-dependent patients whose clinical course is complicated by hypertriglyceridemia.


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