Failure of Inflammatory Response to Accidental Intracranial Lipid Infusion

¹ Departments of Maternal and Child Health and Pathology, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, New Hampshire

The introduction of parenteral nutrition during this decade has significantly improved the nutritional status of many infants but not without serious complications. Early users were confronted with deficiency states of trace elements¹ and fatty acids.² Metabolic abnormalities were frequent, and catheter complications resulted in significant morbidity and mortality. Reports of sepsis,³ extravasation into the abdomen or thorax,⁴ and hydrocephalus⁵ are not uncommon. Equally serious, but rarer, complications have included obstruction of venous return⁶ and subacute Candida endocarditis.⁷ Recent use of peripheral intravenous nutrition has virtually eliminated the well-known catheter complications.⁸ Infrequent and relatively minor problems have been reported following infiltration.