Lipid emulsions in parenteral nutrition: does it matter?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Recently, clinicians have shown interest in switching patients to nonsoybean-based intravenous lipid emulsion (ILE) formulas for parental nutrition (PN) due to adverse outcomes related to high Omega-6 content in soybean oil (SO) ILE's. This review summarizes recent literature on improved clinical outcomes with new Omega-6 lipid-sparing ILE's in PN management. RECENT FINDINGS: Although there is a paucity of large-scale studies directly comparing Omega-6 lipid sparing ILE's with SO-based lipid emulsion use in PN in ICU patients, there is strong translational and meta-analysis evidence to suggest that lipid formulations containing fish oil (FO) and/or olive oil (OO) have favorable effects on immune function and improve clinical outcomes in ICU populations. SUMMARY: More research is needed to directly compare omega-6-sparing PN formulas with FO and/or OO versus traditional SO ILE's. However, current evidence is promising for improved outcomes using newer ILE's including reduced infections, shorter lengths of stay, and reduced costs.