Long-term parenteral nutrition in unrestrained nonhuman primates: an experimental model.

A freely mobile jacket and tether system was developed for the investigation of total parenteral nutrition (TPN)-induced metabolic bone disease and complications of prolonged TPN in 12 Macaca fascicularis nonhuman primates. The animals received TPN for 49 +/- 7 d (means +/- SEM), providing 82 +/- 2 kcal.kg-1.d-1. Serum glucose increased from 3.6 +/- 0.2 mmol/L at baseline to 8.3 +/- 1.9 mmol/L (p less than 0.01) during TPN, and serum albumin decreased from 38 +/- 1 g/L at baseline to 29 +/- 1 g/L (p less than 0.001) during 2.75% amino acid TPN and 30 +/- 2 g/L (p less than 0.01) during 5% amino acid TPN infusion. No significant changes were seen in serum prealbumin, total protein, bilirubin, alanine aminotransferase, and 5'-nucleotidase during TPN infusion. Major complications included catheter sepsis, hyperglycemia, diarrhea, and premature death in six animals. Thus, metabolic complications of prolonged TPN support may be investigated in a freely mobile nonhuman primate.