Home Parenteral Nutrition Program (TPN)

Home Parenteral Nutrition Program (TPN) at Mayo Clinic

Mayo Clinic offers home parenteral nutrition support for people who have severe digestive problems. Mayo's experienced specialists have trained more than 800 people to adminster this treatment in their own homes. Because of their experience, Mayo Clinic specialists often receive referrals for individuals experiencing problems with their parenteral nutrition.

Parenteral (pah REN ter ul) nutrition involves infusing a special liquid nutrient mixture into the blood through a vein. The mixture, which is injected with a needle, contains all the protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins, minerals and fluid needed for healthy nutrition. Parenteral nutrition is commonly known as total parenteral nutrition (TPN) and when delivered at home, home TPN (or sometimes HPN).

Mayo's experienced care team evaluate, train and manage people who need nutritional support at home. Care providers at Mayo Clinic continually monitor each patient's nutritional formulation in an attempt to minimize side effects and complications and to maximize nutritional status. This ongoing evaluation often helps patients end parenteral nutrition and resume an oral diet. See more details on the about TPN page.

The goal of home TPN is to correct or prevent malnutrition. A person may need TPN on a temporary basis for a few months or for a lifetime. The care team will evaluate medical, emotional, financial, and functional capabilities of the patient and his or her family before determining if home TPN meets the patient's needs.

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The most common conditions which can prevent normal digestion of food by the GI tract include inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's disease); surgical bowel removal (short bowel syndrome); and abnormal bowel function, for example, motility problems due to surgical adhesions, radiation enteritis, neurological disorders, and other conditions.