WORLD JOURNAL OF ADVANCE
HEALTHCARE RESEARCH

Nour Sharabah*, Professor Hala Yanni and Professor Oday Jouni

ABSTRACT

Aim: The aim of the study is to determine the incidence and risk factors of total parenteral nutrition (TPN) associated complications in preterm infants. Materials and Methods: TPN was administered to a total of 150 preterm infants for at least 24 hours in the neonatal intensive care unit. Demographic data, enteral and parenteral nutrition status and TPN associated complications were recorded from patients’ records. Patients with TPN associated complications were compared to patients without complication in terms of clinical risk factors and nutritional status. Results: Of these 150 patients constituting the study group, 112 (74.66%) developed complications related to TPN. The most common complication was Hyperglycemia (49 Preterm Infants). Deterioration in liver function tests was observed in 40 patients, Hyponatraemia was seen in 30 Preterm Infants, Hypoglycemia was observed in 24 cases and sepsis was found in 24 patients. In patients with TPN associated complications, there were no statistically significant differences in the gender, IUGR and BPD. However, it was determined that the total duration of TPN, the initial time for enteral nutrition and reaching full enteral feeding were significantly longer in patients with TPN associated complications. Conclusion: We observed that the incidence of the TPN associated complications in critically ill babies with extremely low birth weights, who had to receive prolonged TPN being unable to tolerate enteral feeding, had increased. Therefore, it was concluded that new strategies should be developed to reduce the risk of TPN associated complications in neonatal intensive care units.