TPN Medical Abbreviation Explained

If you or your family member were diagnosed with a serious DI tract disorder, you’re probably trying to learn more about the condition challenges of living with that condition. Maybe you ran across the TPN medical abbreviation in an online article, or your doctor recommended it, and you want to know what you should expect.

We can’t blame you, as these terms can sometimes be quite confusing.

Thankfully, you’ve come to the right place as we’re going to go deeper into the TPN medical abbreviation and explain exactly what TPN is, and how it can help you or a loved one.

TPN Medical Abbreviation Explained

TPN stands for Total Parenteral Nutrition but you may also hear it referred to as intravenous/IV nutrition feeding. It’s a method of supplying nutrients to the patient’s body through their veins. This is especially important for patients who cannot get nutrition normally. 

For instance, people who have GI tract disorders that require complete bowel rest and even those who do not have a functioning digestive tract. 

TPN is effective at providing individuals with these ailments with all the calories and micronutrients they need to stay healthy. It consists of a solution that contains a mix of protein, carbs, glucose, and minerals i.e. everything the body needs. 

TPN is commonly administered through vascular access devices such as:

1. Peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) lines

2. Peripheral Intravenous lines

3. Central lines (Hickman or Groshong catheters)

4. Midlines

What Type of Patients Use TPN

TPN is very versatile and can be administered at home or the hospital making it useful for a lot of people. Most commonly it’s administered to patients that have some of the following diseases:

1. Crohn’s disease

2. Cancer

3. Ischemic bowel disease

4. Short bowel syndrome

5. Severe cases of pancreatitis

6. Intractable vomiting

7. Diarrhea

8. High-output fistula

TPN is also used on critically ill patients that are unable to receive oral nutrition.

While it’s a great method of supplying nutrients to patients with severe GI problems, it’s not recommended to be used constantly on patients who have an intact digestive tract. This is because it might cause additional complications if used routinely. It also doesn’t preserve the function and structure of the digestive tract, and it’s more expensive than normal food.

TPN is a typical way to nurture children and teenagers. For example, children with short bowel syndrome that occurs due to diseases like microvillus inclusion and other intestinal diseases are often on TPN while awaiting an intestinal transplant.

Why is TPN So Effective?

Parenteral nutrition can be either total or partial. While the partial version supplies a fraction of daily nutritional needs and is used to supplement oral intake of food, the total one gives patients all daily requirements regarding nutrition.

In more detail, TPN medical abbreviation for total nutrition requires a mixture between 30 or 40 mL of water, 30 or 45 kcal of energy, and between 1 and 2 kilograms of essential fatty acids, as well as additional vitamins and minerals. 

This is not a rule, as these solutions will always be fine-tuned to meet the individual needs of the patient. The mixture will depend on the function of the organs, the condition, and the age of the patient. 

For instance, patients with respiratory failure will require a mixture that’s mostly liquid and provides nonprotein calories, while those with kidney diseases can benefit from a limited volume of water.

How is TPN Administered?

TPN is administered by placing a catheter or a needle into the large vein going directly to the heart. This is called a central venous catheter, and since it needs to be kept stable to avoid any complications, TPN is administered in a sterile environment. 

This means that the tubing will have to be changed every day. The same goes for any dressings.

The process occurs for 10 to 12 hours per day and multiple times per week. This is why it’s common to administer the infusion during the night so that the patient doesn’t have to go through it during the day.

Since the risk of infection is high while administering TPN, for home administration, patients need access to a nurse who can recognize the various signs of infection. 

The nurse should also be familiar with the correct process of administering TPN.

For instance, the correct method of administering starts with the proper storage of the liquid. Each dose has to be removed from the fridge five minutes before it gets used.

The Risks and The Benefits of TPN

The biggest benefit is the nutrients this infusion provides that are essential for hydration and maintaining the energy levels of the patients. With TPN, patients can feel better and heal more quickly. This is especially important for teenagers and children as they’re still in their development process, and without proper nutrients, they may experience growth delays.

However, TPN is not without its risks.

Typically, the biggest concern is catheter infection which may result in sepsis. Additionally, doctors usually need to look out for blood clots that may form when the line moves. Long-term use of this infusion has also been connected to bone and liver disease, so it’s essential to have a physician monitoring the patient for any complications.

Also, glucose abnormalities can happen as a result of TPN usage, and medical professionals have to keep track of their patient’s glucose levels and fine-tune the contents of the TPN to get rid of any insulin imbalances.

Another common complication is liver dysfunction which can occur from excess amino acids which can cause increased alkaline phosphatase hyper-ammonia. There are also cases of hyper-ammonia and painful hepatomegaly, serious hepatic complications which can lead to twitching and seizures.

Additional complications include gallbladder problems, metabolic bone disease, etc.

TPN Keeps You Strong

TPN medical abbreviation is something you should remember, because aside from all the possible complications, it’s still one of the best ways to deliver nutrients for patients with GI tract ailments.

Why? It’s useful and it’s relatively safe as most of the complications we mentioned can be avoided through proper administration and close monitoring. 

Hopefully, this important method of nutritional support doesn’t seem as scary or as complex as the first time you saw the TPN medical abbreviation.