Guest guest Posted April 10, 2000 Report Share Posted April 10, 2000 Hi there! I asked my TPN clinic nurse (all she does is long and short term TPN) today about the lipids in the TPN and any possible contribution it may have to pancreatitis. She said that lipids in TPN are not harmful to the pancreas because they bypass the GI tract and the pancreas, itself. Since they are being put straight into the bloodstream the pancreas has no direct interaction with the IV lipids and therefore is not stimulated by them. On the other hand, eating fats, as we all know, will contribute to any pancreatic inflammation since the pancreas is involved in helping with digesting them. She said that the only time that IV lipids are a hazard to the pancreas is if they cause the triglyceride level to go into the thousands. She put my mind at rest with the whole lipids and pancreatitis issue...thought I would share what I learned. Karyn- You may want to ask for a decreased amount of lipids per week. Most docs won't give them up completely since you need some so you won't develop a fatty acid deficiency, but they might decrease them for you. I get 300 ml of 20% lipids twice a week. I do still wonder why they do the apheuresis if there is supposedly no connection between blood lipid levels and pancreatitis.????? -Malisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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