Abstract

Wernicke's encephalopathy is associated mainly with malnourishment in alcohol-dependent patients but can be caused also by cancer, Crohn's disease, gastrointestinal surgery or prolonged parenteral nutrition (PN) without adequate supplementation of vitamins. The disorder, with a significant mortality rate of up to 20%, is often associated with the underlying disease and intensifies after administration of non-supplemented PN. Thus, it seems justified to add thiamine to PN admixtures prepared for parenterally fed patients. Due to the lack of data on the stability of thiamine in PN admixtures at concentrations exceeding 60mg/L, we decided to determine the possibility of adding a high dose of thiamine (800mg per bag, 320mg/L) to PN admixtures in order to treat Wernicke's encephalopathy in malnourished patients. The study aimed to assess the stability of the physical properties of PN admixtures (pH, zeta potential, particle size) and to determine thiamine content using an HPLC method. Thiamine was found to degrade regardless of the PN admixture composition and storage conditions. The highest decrease in thiamine content was observed at room temperature without light protection whereas the lowest at a temperature of 4±1°C with light protection. The treatment of Wernicke's encephalopathy in parenterally fed patients is possible with the use of high thiamine doses (800mg) added to PN admixtures without a decrease in the drug content above 10% within the first 24h. It should be emphasized that thiamine as a photosensitive drug must be stored and administered under conditions ensuring light protection.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.