Home parenteral nutrition in adults: a multicentre survey in Europe.

This registry describes a multicentre experience of Home Parenteral Nutrition (HPN) in nine European countries covering 27 centres and 194 patients. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the quality of life and prognosis of patients on HPN. Patients started HPN at 44 +/- 1 years old (mean +/- SEM), and received 200 courses of HPN for a mean of 12 +/- 1 months representing a cumulative duration of 207 years. The four commonest indications for HPN were inflammatory bowel disease (30%), mesenteric vascular disease (21%), malignancy (17%) and radiation enteritis (13%). The nutritional status during HPN was clinically normal or subnormal in 93% of cases. The yearly incidence of catheter related complications leading to a catheter change was 0.74, sepsis accounting for half of this. The duration of hospital readmission for HPN complications was 4 +/- 1% of time spent at home, which represents 2 weeks per year and 41% of the total readmission time. Mortality was mainly influenced by the underlying disease since only 3% of patients died of HPN complications. A good social rehabilitation was observed in 52% of patients who during treatment recovered their pre-HPN occupational status. The poorest social rehabilitation was observed in patients over 65 years of age, and patients with malignancies and radiation enteritis, who also had the poorest prognosis. Caution seems necessary before recommending HPN in these patients.