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  • Original Article
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Fish oil after abdominal aorta aneurysm surgery

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 62, pages 1116–1122 (2008)Cite this article

A Corrigendum to this article was published on 04 February 2009

Abstract

Objective:

Fish oil (FO) may attenuate the inflammatory response after major surgery such as abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) surgery. We aimed at evaluating the clinical impact and safety aspects of a FO containing parenteral nutrition (PN) after AAA surgery.

Methods:

Intervention consisted in 4 days of either standard (STD: Lipofundin medium-chain triglyceride (MCT): long-chain triglyceride (LCT)50%–MCT50%) or FO containing PN (FO: Lipoplus: LCT40%–MCT50%–FO10%). Energy target were set at 1.3 times the preoperative resting energy expenditure by indirect calorimetry. Blood sampling on days 0, 2, 3 and 4. Glucose turnover by the 2H2-glucose method. Muscle microdialysis. Clinical data: maximal daily T°, intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital stay.

Results:

Both solutions were clinically well tolerated, without any differences in laboratory safety parameters, inflammatory, metabolic data, or in organ failures. Plasma tocopherol increased similarly; with FO, docosahexaenoic and eicosapentaenoic acid increased significantly by day 4 versus baseline or STD. To increased postoperatively, with a trend to lower values in FO group (P=0.09). After FO, a trend toward shorter ICU stay (1.6±0.4 versus 2.3±0.4), and hospital stay (9.9±2.4 versus 11.3±2.7 days: P=0.19) was observed.

Conclusions:

Both lipid emulsions were well tolerated. FO-PN enhanced the plasma n–3 polyunsaturated fatty acid content, and was associated with trends to lower body temperature and shorter length of stay.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Mr Charles Schindler, from the CHUV Pharmacy, for the preparation and the blinding of the PN solutions and Ms Corinna Franke and Dr Hans Demmelmair, Division of Metabolic Disease and Nutrition, Childrens' Hospital, University of Munich, for valuable methodological support. The study was partially supported by a grant from BBraun AG, Melsungen, Germany. B Koletzko is the recipient of a Freedom to Discover Award of the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation, New York, NY, USA.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Intensive Care Medicine, CHUV, Lausanne, Switzerland

    M M Berger, J P Revelly, M C Cayeux & R L Chiolero

  2. Physiology Institute, UNIL, Lausanne, Switzerland

    L Tappy

  3. Division of Metabolic Disease and Nutrition, Childrens' Hospital Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich, Germany

    B V Koletzko & J Gepert

  4. Department of Thoracic Surgery, CHUV, Lausanne, Switzerland

    J M Corpataux

Authors
  1. M M Berger
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  2. L Tappy
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  4. B V Koletzko
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  5. J Gepert
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  8. R L Chiolero
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to M M Berger.

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Contributors: MMB, Conception, Design, Conduct, Methods, Statistics; LT, Conception, Design, Methods, Statistics; JPR, Conception, Design, Conduct, Statistics; BVK, Methods, Statistics; JG, Methods, Statistics; MCC, Conception, Conduct; JMC, Conception, Conduct; RLC, Conception, Design, Conduct.

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Berger, M., Tappy, L., Revelly, J. et al. Fish oil after abdominal aorta aneurysm surgery. Eur J Clin Nutr 62, 1116–1122 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602817

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