Fish oil after abdominal aorta aneurysm surgery

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 H-2(2)-glucose method. Muscle microdialysis. Clinical data: maximal daily T degrees, 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.