[Supplementary parenteral nutrition in premature infants. Adaptation to amino acid intake].

The authors report a controlled study of the use of 2 types of amino-acid solutions for premature infants nutrition in the first days of life, one of the solution (solution I) being adapted for prematures. The average amino-acid blood levels in prematures receiving solution I were close to those observed in cord blood; Plasma taurine, alanine and arginine concentrations were significantly lower with normalized levels of aromatic amino-acids, lysine, taurine and proline; serum ammonia level was also lower. This study shows that using an amino-acid solution adapted to prematures as a supplement to parenteral nutrition during the first days of life allows to progressively increase the nitrogen intakes without inducing dangerous plasma levels of some amino-acids.