Lipid metabolism in the neonate. I. The effects of Intralipid infusion on plasma triglyceride and free fatty acid concentrations in the neonate.

To determine the ability of the neonate to metabolize Intralipid, it was infused in a dose of 1 gm/kg of body weight over a 4-hour period to 27 infants in the first 48 hours of life. Differences in the metabolism of this lipid were related to gestational age and to weight for gestational age. Premature AGA infants of less than 33 week's gestation hydrolyzed the triglyceride to FFA more slowly than did AGA infants whose gestation was greater than 33 weeks. The SGA infants achieved very high plasma levels of triglycerides and free fatty acids during the infusion and cleared the lipid very slowly in the postinfusion period. This suggested impaired hydrolysis of the triglyceride and deficient uptake and/or utilization at a cellular level of the resulting free fatty acids in SGA infants.