Purpose: This article is based on presentations and discussions held at the International Safety and Quality of Parenteral Nutrition (PN) Summit concerning the acute care setting. Some European practices presented in this article do not conform with USP general chapter requirements. Nevertheless, the purpose is to cover the challenges experienced in delivering high-quality PN within hospitals in the United States and Europe, in order to share best practices and experiences more widely. Summary: Core issues regarding the PN process within an acute care setting are largely the same everywhere: There are ongoing pressures for greater efficiency, optimization, and also concurrent commitments to make PN safer for patients. Within Europe, in recent years, the use of market-authorized multi-chamber bags (MCBs) has increased greatly, mainly for safety, cost-effectiveness, and efficiency purposes. However, in the US, hospitals with low PN volumes may face particular challenges, as automated compounding equipment is often unaffordable in this setting and the variety of available MCBs is limited. This can result in the need to operate several PN systems in parallel, adding to the complexity of the PN use process. Ongoing PN quality and safety initiatives from US institutions with various PN volumes are presented. In the future, the availability of a greater selection of MCBs in the US may increase, leading to a reduction in dependence on compounded PN, as has been seen in many European countries. Conclusion: The examples presented may encourage improvements in the safety and quality of PN within the acute care setting worldwide.

Parenteral nutrition (PN) is a standard of care for preterm infants in the first postnatal days. The European Society of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition (ESPGHAN) has updated their guideline recommendations on PN in 2018. However, data on actual 2018 guideline adherence in clinical practice are sparse. In this retrospective study, conducted at the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of Ghent University Hospital, we analyzed the ESPGHAN 2018 PN guideline adherence and growth for 86 neonates admitted to the NICU. Analyses were stratified by birth weight (<1000 g, 1000 to <1500 g, ≥1500 g). We documented the provisions for enteral nutrition (EN) and PN, and we tested the combined EN and PN provisions for ESPGHAN 2018 adherence. The nutrition protocols showed a high adherence to PN guidelines in terms of carbohydrate provisions, yet lipid provisions for EN and PN often exceeded the recommended maximum of 4 g/kg/d; although, PN lipid intakes maxed out at 3.6 g/kg/d. Protein provisions tended to fall below the recommended minimum of 2.5 g/kg/d for preterm infants and 1.5 g/kg/d for term neonates. The energy provisions also tended to fall below the minimum recommendations, especially for neonates with a birth weight (BW) < 1000 g. Over a mean PN duration of 17.1 ± 11.4 d, the median weekly Fenton Z-scores changes for length, weight, and head circumference were positive for all BW groups. Future studies have to assess how protocols adapt to current guidelines, and how this affects short- and long-term growth across different BW groups. In conclusion, the reported findings provide real-world evidence regarding the effect of ESPGHAN 2018 PN guideline adherence, and they demonstrate how standardized neonatal PN solutions can safeguard stable growth during NICU stays.