ABSTRACT
Parenteral nutrition (PN) is an important therapy to deliver nutritional requirements when enteral nutrition is contraindicated or when there is prolonged inability to gain access to the gastrointestinal tract. The use of PN is not without risk or potential for complications. Safe and reliable venous access is a key component in the management of patients requiring PN in the hospital setting. Clinicians caring for patients requiring PN should be well versed with the potential complications associated with the use of PN and vascular access devices in order to provide safe and effective monitoring of this complex therapy. Management of PN within the intensive care unit (ICU) can be further complicated by the lack of hemodynamic stability and alterations in metabolism in the presence of stress. This chapter intends to review the short-term metabolic complications associated with PN use in the ICU, catheter-associated complications associated with PN delivery, and successful monitoring and management of these potential complications.
