Nutrition and weight maintenance

November 2004     View PDF     En español

Total or Partial Parenteral Nutrition (TPN or PPN)

PPN and TPN are liquid nutrients that are delivered intravenously through a line surgically fixed in a major vein. Some providers use PPN, together with solid food, to treat moderate-to-severe wasting. When wasting becomes severe, TPN is used. Often, due to expense (up to $13,000 per month), TPN is used too late to help restore body mass. As wasting becomes more severe, it becomes increasingly difficult to treat. Intervening early, even with an aggressive approach like TPN, is important.

An IV diet is hard on the body: the intestines are not “exercised,” and the longer TPN is used the more difficult it is to re-adjust to solid foods. TPN is very high in fatty proteins, and the weight gain associated with TPN is primarily fat and water weight. While this is clearly not the best, it may help someone with severe wasting. TPN should only be used when the intestines have stopped working and other oral interventions are not being absorbed.