Can TPN (Total Parenteral Nutrition) be Given at Home?

Can TPN (Total Parenteral Nutrition) be Given at Home?

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In this week’s blog I want to answer another question that we get quite frequently from our readers and clients

Can TPN (total parenteral nutrition) be given at home?

A question we get quite frequently by our readers and also by our clients is if intravenous nutrition, also known as TPN (total parenteral nutrition) can be given at home?

The short answer is yes.

Let me elaborate.

TPN or Total Parenteral Nutrition is intravenous nutrition that can only be given via a central venous catheter (CVC) or via a PICC (peripherally inserted central catheter) line.

Fairly often Patients in Intensive Care have to be nil by mouth (NBM) for situations like intubation, abdominal surgery, ileus (bowel obstruction), Nasogastric or PEG feed intolerance to name a few.

Whenever nasogastric feeds or PEG feeds can’t be given to meet nutritional demands, TPN or total parenteral nutrition needs to be given via a central venous catheter (CVC) or a PICC (peripherally inserted central catheter) line in order to meet nutritional demands.

There can sometimes be a 24 hour time window between stopping PEG or Nasogastric feeds and commencing TPN depending on the availability of TPN. Sometimes Pharmacy needs to prepare TPN first.

Once TPN has been commenced, regular blood tests including the check for blood Glucose and Electrolytes needs to be monitored.

A new TPN intravenous giving set needs to be used every 24 hours to maintain infection control standards. A new TPN giving set needs to be attached...