Examining Flow Rates and Infection Risks of Administering Intravenous Lipid Emulsion in Malnutrition Patients

Abstract

When hospitalized patients develop infections, it extends their hospital stay and can increase their risk of death. Preventing the onset of infection reduces the burden on patients as well as on the hospital. Controlling the amount of antibiotics used can also help to suppress drug-resistant bacteria. When the flow rate of long chain triglyceride lipid emulsion in nutritional supplementation is fast, it has been reported that it could inhibit reticuloendothelial function because artificial triglycerides accumulate in the blood. However, accumulation of artificial triglycerides can be avoided when the flow rate is less than 0.10 g/kg/hr. We examined the relationship between the presence/lack of infections and the flow rate of lipid emulsion, by studying 23 patients with body weights under 40 kg who were administered lipid emulsion intravenously for a period of 14 days or more. Of the infected group, 5 out of 13 cases (38.5％) received a flow rate less than 0.10 g/kg/hr. However, in the non-infected group, 8 out of 10 cases (80.0％) had been administered a flow rate that was less than 0.10 g/kg/hr (P = 0.046). Therefore, we believe the risk of infection can be suppressed by managing the intravenous lipid emulsion flow rate at less than 0.10 g/kg/hr.