Examination of factors that lead to complications for new home parenteral nutrition patients.

Home parenteral nutrition carries a risk of infectious, metabolic, and mechanical complications that cause significant morbidity and mortality. This study investigated the incidence and the causative factors of these complications that occur within the first 90 days after discharge from the hospital to home. Data were prospectively collected and analyzed for 97 adult patients. A complication developed in one third of the patients, and the majority required rehospitalization. Infectious complications were the most prevalent, followed by mechanical and then metabolic complications. The authors describe their methods of collecting data in a quantifiable manner with the ultimate goal of improving patient outcomes.