Route of Pediatric Parenteral Nutrition: Proposed Criteria Revision

This study reviews the experience of the Nutrition Support Service at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia over a 13-mo period from 1977 to 1979. Parenteral nutrition was administered to 585 children, 385 by peripheral vein infusion and 200 by central vein infusion. Weight gain was seen in 63% of those patients receiving peripheral vein infusions and 82.5% of those receiving central vein nutrients, and this apparent difference is likely due to the longer duration of therapy in the central vein recipients (33.7 versus 11.4 mean days) and the greater caloric intake delivered to these same patients (128 Kcal/kg/day versus 63.2 Kcal/kg/day). The complication rates were calculated for the more than 11,000 patient days of therapy surveyed; 35 of the 385 peripheral vein patients developed complications, the primary type being solution administration soft tissue sloughs. This amounted to an incidence of 9.08%. Central vein patients in 40 circumstances likewise had complications, 21 being infectious and 12 being metabolic. This accounted for 20% of all central vein recipients, a difference from the peripheral vein group significant to a p value of less than .01. However, when total days of therapy are considered in this complication incidence, a per diem complication rate between these two groups is not different, and in fact, is somewhat worse for the peripheral vein nutrient recipients. Vascular access in this group of patients was via peripheral vein cannulation or via central venous catheter placement, the latter more recenty done exclusively by percutaneous subclavian vein catheter insertions. This technique was safe and allowed repeated access to the central venous system. These data suggest that the only legitimate determining factor for selecting proper nutritional support of the pediatric patient is the caloric need of the individual.