The main determinants of nitrogen balance during total parenteral nutrition in critically ill injured patients

✍ Scribed by G. Iapichino; D. Radrizzani; M. Solca; A. Pesenti; L. Gattinoni; A. Ferro; L. Leoni; M. Langer; S. Vesconi; G. Damia

• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 1984
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 359 KB
• Volume: 10
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1432-1238
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00256262

✦ Synopsis

Factors influencing nitrogen balance during total parenteral nutrition have been investigated in 34 critically ill injured patients studied during the first 6 days after trauma. Basal nitrogen balance was severely negative (-0.26 +/- 0.12 (SD) g X kg-1), but improved consistently during treatment. Nitrogen intake proved to be the major determinant of a positive, or less negative, nitrogen balance, only secondarily followed by total energy intake corrected to predicted basal energy expenditure, according to multiple regression analysis. The amount of non-protein calories and the non-protein calorie to nitrogen ratio appeared to have little significance on nitrogen balance, when corrected for the two former variables.