A retrospective review of the 5-year nutritional and clinical outcomes in pediatric patients undergoing intestinal rehabilitation

Abstract

Background: The mainstay of modern medical therapy for intestinal failure (IF) is parenteral nutrition (PN). The Intestinal Rehabilitation Program (IRP) goal is enhancing nutritional outcomes for patients receiving total parenteral nutrition (TPN), optimizing/transitioning patients from TPN to enteral nutrition (EN), achieving enteral autonomy, monitoring growth and development. The objective of this study is to describe nutritional and clinical outcomes for children undergoing intestinal rehabilitation during 5 years of the program.

Methods: Retrospective chart review for children from birth to <18 years old with IF who were on TPN from July 2015 to Dec 2020 or to the endpoint of the study when they either weaned from TPN during the 5 year period or continued TPN by Dec 2020 and participated at our IRP.

Results: The mean age of the cohort was 2.4 years (±4.22), 53% male. The 3 most common diagnosis were necrotizing enterocolitis (28%), gastroschisis (14%) and intestinal atresia (14%). Nutritional data including days/hours per week on TPN, glucose infusion rate, amino acids, total EN calories, % of total nutrition received from TPN and EN per day all showed statistically significant differences. Our program showed 0% intestinal failure associated liver disease (IFALD), 0% mortality, 100% survival, 41% patients were weaned from TPN (13/32) with mean of 39 months (±32).

Conclusion: Early referral to a center that can offer IRP, such as ours can lead to tremendous positive clinical outcomes and help patients with intestinal failure avoid transplant as shown in our study.

Keywords: Home parenteral nutrition; Intestinal failure; Intestinal rehabilitation in children; Parenteral nutrition in children; Pediatrics; Short bowel syndrome.