Original / Nutrición parenteral Veinticinco años de outsourcing de la nutrición parenteral domiciliaria: experiencia del Hospital Universitario La Paz de Madrid

Background: Most of adult patients with home parenteral nutrition (HPN) assisted by the Clinical Nutrition and Diethetics Unit at Hospital Universitario La Paz have been receiving for more than 20 years their nutrition formula through a catering system that processes and delivers food directly to patients’ homes. Objective: To assess the clinical characteristics, the quality of life and the degree of satisfaction with the support received from patients with home parenteral nutrition assisted by the catering system Nutriservice for their nutrition formulas. Methods and materials: w e collected the characteris tics from patients who used Nutriservice home parenteral nutrition formulas, from 1992 to present. Patients on an active treatment completed a quality of life questionnaire about the catering system and the support they received from our Unit. Results: 78 patients were included in the sample, 57.7% men, mean age 53.1±14.3. Cancer was the most frequent main condition, as much for late stages (34%) as for active treatment (34%). The main reason for HPN was bowel obstruction (46%). The nutritional support lasted for a median of 96 days (1-5334). The most frequent complications were infections associated with the catheter (72%). The results were analysed following the main underlying condition for patients classification: late stage cancer, active treatment cancer and better prognostic and non-oncologic pathology. Patients in active treatment considered their quality of life affected and the positively assessed the service from Nutriservice and the support from the Nutrition Unit. Conclusions: Our experience shows that cancer patients are those who most frequently receive home pa