Recommendations for photoprotection of parenteral nutrition for premature infants: An ASPEN position paper.

Although crucial in improving health outcomes in the preterm infants, parenteral nutrition (PN) is not without risk, especially if handled improperly. A growing body of evidence suggests that components of PN admixtures, including lipid injectable emulsions (ILEs), are susceptible to degradation, including oxidation when exposed to light (ie, photo-oxidation), resulting in the production of reactive oxygen species. Infants, especially those born preterm, are considered more susceptible to consequences of oxidative stress than children and adults. Oxidative stress is associated with bronchopulmonary dysplasia, retinopathy of prematurity, necrotizing enterocolitis, and intestinal failure-associated liver disease. The American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN) assembled a working group to provide recommendations on clinical practice surrounding photoprotection of PN.This Position Paper reviews the scientific literature on the formation of quantifiable peroxides and other degradation products when PN admixtures and ILEs are exposed to light and reports adverse clinical outcomes in premature infants exposed to PN. Recommendations for photoprotection of PN admixtures and ILEs are provided, as well as the challenges in achieving complete photoprotection with the equipment, supplies, and materials currently available in the US. ASPEN and the authors understand that the full implementation of complete photoprotection may not currently be feasible given current product availability; recommendations provided in this paper serve to represent the goal to which to strive as well as to highlight the importance of product availability to achieve these practices. This paper has been approved by the ASPEN Board of Directors.

ASPEN Report on Nutrition Support Practice Processes With COVID-19: The First Response.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has changed nutrition care processes in hospitals and in the home setting. This paper summarizes clinician reports on these changed processes, including overall nutrition care, nutrition assessment, enteral nutrition and parenteral nutrition care steps, and food and oral supplement delivery. Also included are teaching, logistics, and personnel issues around changes in the work environment. Use of safe, standardized, evidence-based processes in the face of altered care patterns is critical.

Drug Shortages: Effect on Parenteral Nutrition Therapy.

Drug shortages continue to be a threat to the health and welfare of numerous patients in the United States. For patients who depend on parenteral nutrition (PN) for survival, these shortages pose an even greater threat. Almost 75% of active drug shortages are sterile injectables, which includes PN components. Providing PN therapy is particularly challenging for clinicians because this is a complex medication and may contain 40 or more individual ingredients, of which multiple components may simultaneously be in limited supply. The availability of PN components must be considered during every step of the PN use process from ordering the PN prescription to administering this therapy to a patient. Alterations to a standardized process can lead to medication errors that can adversely affect patient outcomes and consume healthcare resources.

Lipid Injectable Emulsions: Infusion Confusion.

The commentary addresses discussion regarding the duration of infusion for lipid injectable emulsions (ILEs; previously known as intravenous fat emulsion) when administered separately from amino acids and dextrose (2:1) admixtures. The article by Mundi et al describes the administration time of ILEs administered separately as up to 24 hours, while previous American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition documents have outlined the infusion time not to exceed 12 hours.

Standards for Nutrition Support: Adult Hospitalized Patients.

The American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition defines standards as benchmarks representing a range of performance of competent care that should be provided to assure safe and efficacious nutrition care in most circumstances. Standards are documents that define the structure needed to provide competent care. These Standards for Nutrition Support for Adult Hospitalized Patients are an update of the 2010 Standards. These practice-based standards are intended for use by healthcare professionals charged with the care of adult hospitalized patients receiving nutrition support therapy in any hospital with or without a formal nutrition support service or team. These Standards address professional responsibilities as they relate to patient assessment, diagnosis, education, care plan development, implementation, clinical monitoring, evaluation, and professional issues around nutrition support.

Standardized Competencies for Parenteral Nutrition Administration: The ASPEN Model.

Parenteral nutrition (PN) is a highly complex medication and its provision can be prone to a variety of errors. Safe administration of this therapy requires that the competency of clinicians, particularly nurses, be demonstrated using a standardized process. In this document, a standardized model for PN administration competency is proposed based on a competency framework, the ASPEN-published interdisciplinary core competencies, discipline-specific standards of practice, safe practice recommendations, and clinical guidelines. ASPEN recognizes that all healthcare institutions may not currently meet the aspirational goals of this document. This framework will guide institutions and agencies in developing tools and procedures and maintaining competency of staff members around safe PN administration. The ASPEN Board of Directors has approved this document.

ASPEN statement on parenteral nutrition standardization.

In response to questions regarding use of standardized parenteral nutrition (PN) formulations, the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (A.S.P.E.N.) developed a Task Force to address some of these issues. A.S.P.E.N. envisions standardized PN as a broader issue rather than simply using a standardized, commercially available PN product. A standardized process for PN must be explored in order to improve patient safety and clinical appropriateness, and to maximize resource efficiency. A standardized process may include use of standardized PN formulations (including standardized, commercial PN products) but also includes aspects of ordering, labeling, screening, compounding, and administration of PN. A safe PN system must exist which minimizes procedural incidents and maximizes the ability to meet individual patient requirements. Using clinicians with nutrition support therapy expertise will contribute to that safe PN system. The purpose of this statement is to present the published literature associated with standardized PN formulations, to provide recommendations, and to identify areas in need of future research.

Parenteral Nutrition Errors and Potential Errors Reported Over the Past 10 Years.

Parenteral nutrition (PN) is a complex, high-alert medication, and errors associated with the use of this therapy may lead to significant harm to patients. This document reviews error reports from the Institute for Safe Medication Practices' Medication Errors Reporting Program that are associated with the PN use process over the past 10 years. Actual PN-related errors are outlined, with most occurring in the PN-compounding/dispensing and PN administration steps. Clinicians involved in any phase of the PN use process should review their institutional or homecare company's processes for reporting of PN errors and collaborate with their medical safety officer and/or committees involved with medication error reporting.

When Is Parenteral Nutrition Appropriate?

Parenteral nutrition (PN) represents one of the most notable achievements of modern medicine, serving as a therapeutic modality for all age groups across the healthcare continuum. PN offers a life-sustaining option when intestinal failure prevents adequate oral or enteral nutrition. However, providing nutrients by vein is an expensive form of nutrition support, and serious adverse events can occur. In an effort to provide clinical guidance regarding PN therapy, the Board of Directors of the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN) convened a task force to develop consensus recommendations regarding appropriate PN use. The recommendations contained in this document aim to delineate appropriate PN use and promote clinical benefits while minimizing the risks associated with the therapy. These consensus recommendations build on previous ASPEN clinical guidelines and consensus recommendations for PN safety. They are intended to guide evidence-based decisions regarding appropriate PN use for organizations and individual professionals, including physicians, nurses, dietitians, pharmacists, and other clinicians involved in providing PN. They not only support decisions related to initiating and managing PN but also serve as a guide for developing quality monitoring tools for PN and for identifying areas for further research. Finally, the recommendations contained within the document are also designed to inform decisions made by additional stakeholders, such as policy makers and third-party payers, by providing current perspectives regarding the use of PN in a variety of healthcare settings.

Lipid Injectable Emulsion Survey With Gap Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Lipid injectable emulsion (ILE) is an integral part of parenteral nutrition (PN), providing energy and essential fatty acids. With recent consensus recommendations for PN, clinical guidelines for ordering and preparation of PN, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of new ILE products, and revised ILE labeling to include a 1.2-micron filter, a gap in current practice knowledge was apparent. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition PN Safety Committee surveyed clinicians on how ILE products are prescribed, prepared, and administered to patients from neonates to adults. RESULTS: The results of this survey conducted in late 2016 found a wide variation in practice, particularly across patient age groups. CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrate the need for ongoing dissemination and education on standardized safe practices for ILE use.

Standardized Competencies for Parenteral Nutrition Order Review and Parenteral Nutrition Preparation, Including Compounding: The ASPEN Model.

Parenteral nutrition (PN) is a high-alert medication with a complex drug use process. Key steps in the process include the review of each PN prescription followed by the preparation of the formulation. The preparation step includes compounding the PN or activating a standardized commercially available PN product. The verification and review, as well as preparation of this complex therapy, require competency that may be determined by using a standardized process for pharmacists and for pharmacy technicians involved with PN. An American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN) standardized model for PN order review and PN preparation competencies is proposed based on a competency framework, the ASPEN-published interdisciplinary core competencies, safe practice recommendations, and clinical guidelines, and is intended for institutions and agencies to use with their staff.

Standardized Competencies for Parenteral Nutrition Prescribing: The American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition Model.

Parenteral nutrition (PN) provision is complex, as it is a high-alert medication and prone to a variety of potential errors. With changes in clinical practice models and recent federal rulings, the number of PN prescribers may be increasing. Safe prescribing of this therapy requires that competency for prescribers from all disciplines be demonstrated using a standardized process. A standardized model for PN prescribing competency is proposed based on a competency framework, the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (A.S.P.E.N.)-published interdisciplinary core competencies, safe practice recommendations, and clinical guidelines. This framework will guide institutions and agencies in developing and maintaining competency for safe PN prescription by their staff.

A.S.P.E.N. parenteral nutrition safety consensus recommendations.

Parenteral nutrition (PN) serves as an important therapeutic modality that is used in adults, children, and infants for a variety of indications. The appropriate use of this complex therapy aims to maximize clinical benefit while minimizing the potential risks for adverse events. Complications can occur as a result of the therapy and as the result of the PN process. These consensus recommendations are based on practices that are generally accepted to minimize errors with PN therapy, categorized in the areas of PN prescribing, order review and verification, compounding, and administration. These recommendations should be used in conjunction with other A.S.P.E.N. publications, and researchers should consider studying the questions brought forth in this document.

A.S.P.E.N. clinical guidelines: parenteral nutrition ordering, order review, compounding, labeling, and dispensing.

BACKGROUND: Parenteral nutrition (PN) is a high-alert medication available for patient care within a complex clinical process. Beyond application of best practice recommendations to guide safe use and optimize clinical outcome, several issues are better addressed through evidence-based policies, procedures, and practices. This document provides evidence-based guidance for clinical practices involving PN prescribing, order review, and preparation. METHOD: A systematic review of the best available evidence was used by an expert work group to answer a series of questions about PN prescribing, order review, compounding, labeling, and dispensing. Concepts from the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) format were applied as appropriate. The specific clinical guideline recommendations were developed using consensus prior to review and approval by the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (A.S.P.E.N.) Board of Directors. The following questions were addressed: (1) Does education of prescribers improve PN ordering? (2) What is the maximum safe osmolarity of PN admixtures intended for peripheral vein administration? (3) What are the appropriate calcium intake and calcium-phosphate ratios in PN for optimal neonatal bone mineralization? (4) What are the clinical advantages or disadvantages of commercially available premade ("premixed") multichambered PN formulations compared with traditional/customized PN formulations? (5) What are the clinical (infection, catheter occlusion) advantages or disadvantages of 2-in-1 compared with 3-in-1 PN admixtures? (6) What macronutrient dosing limits are expected to provide for the most stable 3-in-1 admixtures? (7) What are the most appropriate recommendations for optimizing calcium (gluconate) and (Na- or K-) phosphate compatibility in PN admixtures? (8) What micronutrient contamination is present in parenteral stock solutions currently used to compound PN admixtures? (9) Is it safe to use the PN admixture as a vehicle for non-nutrient medication delivery? (10) Should heparin be included in the PN admixture to reduce the risk of central vein thrombosis? (11) What methods of repackaging intravenous fat emulsion (IVFE) into smaller patient-specific volumes are safe? (12) What beyond-use date should be used for (a) IVFE dispensed for separate infusion in the original container and (b) repackaged IVFE?

Parenteral nutrition product shortages: impact on safety.

The drug shortage crisis continues in the United States and threatens the integrity of the pharmaceutical supply chain and compromises patient care, especially patients requiring parenteral nutrition (PN) therapy. The number of new drug shortages has increased rapidly over the past 5 years, with the most significant increase in sterile injectable products. The most common reason for a shortage of a sterile injectable medication is a product quality issue. Two surveys of healthcare professionals have assessed the impact of drug shortages on patient safety. Participants in one survey reported over 1000 medication errors or patient adverse events as the result of shortages. The American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition also conducted a survey of healthcare professionals regarding PN product shortages and the associated patient care implications. Safety risks were reported throughout the entire PN process, from procurement of PN products to patient outcomes. Providing PN therapy during product shortages requires vigilance and continuous assessment of the entire PN process to optimize patient care quality and avoid patient harm.

Parenteral nutrition product shortages: the A.S.P.E.N. strategy.

Product (drug) shortages have had a significant impact on the healthcare system, particularly on patients and clinicians. This has been especially true with patients requiring parenteral nutrition (PN). The American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (A.S.P.E.N.) has dealt with PN product shortages in the past on behalf of its members and their patients. However, the shortage severity and duration have made dealing with the PN product shortages in 2010-2012 extremely challenging.