Intravenous Nutrition in Hospitalized Patients: Comparison of Two Oils

Parenteral Nutrition in Hospitalized Patients: Comparison of Two Commercially Available Lipid Emulsions

Intravenous nutrition is an important therapy for the recovery of many patients. It is indicated when the patients cannot take food by mouth or use their intestines for feeding. It is important to indicate it in the appropriate setting because it's not free of complications and is a costly treatment. Some of the complications are: elevated blood sugar or lipids, elevated liver function tests, infection of the catheter or device used to administer intravenous nutrition. Intravenous nutrition is composed by proteins, lipids, carbohydrates (sugar in the form of glucose) and vitamins. Until recently, Intralipid, a soybean oil-based lipid emulsion was the only lipid available in Canada for this kind of nutrition. Since 2010, a new lipid emulsion (ClinOleic) based on olive-oil has been approved by Health Canada for use in intravenous nutrition. There is an increasing need for hospitals to evaluate the quality of intravenous nutrition administered to hospitalized patients in terms of: assessing indications, prescription, complications, clinical results and costs. The objective of this study is to determine if intravenous nutrition prescribed in hospitalized patients is indicated following existing guidelines in terms of timing of nutrition support, prescription, monitoring and whether it is associated with complications. In addition, length of stay and mortality will be assessed. Also, we will evaluate nutritional, infectious and inflammatory parameters in patients receiving soybean oil-based lipid emulsion (Intralipid) compared to those of patients receiving olive oil-based lipid emulsion (ClinOleic).

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Cancer; Malnutrition; Surgery; Ileus; Obstruction
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Intralipid; Drug: ClinOleic

Detailed Description

Until recently, Intralipid, a soybean oil-based lipid emulsion, has been the only available lipid for intravenous use in Canada. In 2010, ClinOleic, a new, predominantly olive oil based emulsion, has been approved by Health Canada as an alternative lipid.

There is an increasing need for hospitals to do quality-assurance studies for in-patient parenteral nutrition (PN) to assess indications, PN prescription, complications, clinical outcomes and costs. The only in-patient population that is well studied is the intensive care unit (ICU) population. Several meta-analyses showed that PN was associated with higher infection rate, longer length of stay and higher mortality when compared with enteral nutrition. Results from these and other studies were the basis for the Canadian ICU Guidelines.

The aim of this study is to determine if PN prescribed in in-patients is indicated, appropriately following existing guidelines in terms of timing of nutrition support, prescription and monitoring and, whether it is associated with complications. In addition, clinical outcomes such as length of stay and mortality will be assessed. Also, we will evaluate metabolic, nutritional, infectious and inflammatory parameters in patients receiving soybean oil-based lipid emulsion compared to those of patients receiving olive oil-based lipid emulsion.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 303
• Phase: Phase 4

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Canada
  • Ontario
    • Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5G 2C4
      • University Health Network

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients 18 years or older

  • Patients with PN during their hospitalization
  • Patients hospitalized in medical, surgical or ICU wards
  • Signed informed consent either from the patient, their legally authorized representative or a direct family member

Exclusion Criteria:

• • Patients without PN during their hospitalization

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Intralipid; Patients will receive Intralipid, which is the standard lipid emulsion used in the hospital	Drug: Intralipid; soybean oil-based lipid emulsion
Experimental: ClinOleic; Patients that are randomized to receive ClinOleic as a lipid emulsion in their PN, instead of Intralipid. ClinOleic is approved by Health Canada. The amount of calories from the lipid emulsion will be equivalent in the standard of care group and in the ClinOleic group.	Drug: ClinOleic; olive oil-based lipid emulsion

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Prealbumin	prealbumin is an hepatic protein that is used in the diagnosis of malnutrition. It has a short half-life so any changes in nutritional status can rapidly be represented by prealbumin levels.	at day 10

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Length of Stay	Length of stay in the hospital and ICU will be recorded for 1 year	participants will be followed for the duration of hospital stay up to one year
Mortality	We will follow the patients from the day of admission until the day of discharge and record the mortality for 1 year	participantes will be followed for the duration of hospital stay for up to 1 year
Infections	we will record the infections the patients develop during PN until one week after PN for 1 year	until one week post-PN up to 1 year
Change in Hand-grip Strength	We will measure hand grip strength at baseline (day0) and at day 10 of PN. This is a test that measures the strength of the hand and forearm muscles and is often used as a general test of strength	at baseline (day 0) and day 10 of PN
Change in Mid-arm Circumference	This is a rough indicator of body fat	at baseline (day0) and day 10
Subjective Global Assessment (SGA): Number Who Improved	is a bedside method that assesses the risk of malnutrition and identifies which patient will benefit best from nutrition support	at baseline (day 0) and day 10
Change in High Sensitivity C-reactive Protein (Hs-CRP)	hs-CRP is a marker of inflammation, we will measure this parameter at baseline and after 10 days of PN	Baseline (day 0) and day 10
Red Blood Cell Fatty Acid Composition: Linoleic	Red blood cell fatty acid composition, particularly the essential fatty acids (linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid) will be measured to assess presence/absence of essential fatty acid deficiency	day 10

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Johane Allard
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Johane P Allard, MD, FRCPC, University Health Network, Toronto

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): July 1, 2013
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 1, 2019
• Study Completion (Actual): December 1, 2019

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 17, 2013
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 11, 2013
• First Posted (Estimated): September 17, 2013

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 25, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 29, 2025
• Last Verified: January 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Inflammation; Infection; mortality; lipid emulsion; length of stay; Intralipid; Parenteral nutrition; ClinOleic; Bloodstream Infection
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Nutrition Disorders; Malnutrition; Pharmaceutical Solutions; Parenteral Nutrition Solutions; Fat Emulsions, Intravenous; Soybean oil, phospholipid emulsion
• Other Study ID Numbers: CAPCR ID: 13-5807

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO