Turning off lipids in infected babies

Specialties NICU

Published

Do you all do this? My current hospital does, but I haven't been able to find any good litterature on it.

Gompers, BSN, RN

2,691 Posts

Specializes in NICU.
Do you all do this? My current hospital does, but I haven't been able to find any good litterature on it.

The only infection we turn lipids off with is the fungus Melessesia Pachydermitis (I think I spelled it right, but forgive me it's early in the morning). There was a copy of a printed article in the baby's chart that mentioned it being carried through the bloodstream by lipids, so they were DC'ed on the baby until he had clear cultures.

Specializes in NICU, PICU, educator.

Yes we do...it has something to do with leukocytes. I'll have to see if I can find the info.

Really? Never heard of this.

MsJessikia

33 Posts

havent heard of them doing it at my hospita.... but im very intrigued????

Specializes in NICU, PICU, educator.

I found my short hand notes LOL They are from an article in the late 90's. Some organisms such as E.Coli and S. Aureus and some fungi make a "slime", esp around catheter sites and this keeps the poly leukocytes from being able to engulf the organisms. Lipids add to this "slime"...the organism likes lipids because it helps to make the slime for impermeable.

Do you all do this? My current hospital does, but I haven't been able to find any good litterature on it.

Never heard of this, but I'm going to inquire when I go back to work on Tuesday. Interesting idea!

nekhismom

1,104 Posts

well, that could certianly explain some of what's been going on with some of our kids. We run lipids 24 hrs and don't d/c for infections.

Other hospitals run lipids 18 hours...anybody know if the rationale for that is related to infection as mentioned here?

Specializes in NICU, PICU, educator.

I don't think so. We run our lipids over 4-24 hours, depending on how many grams/k/day they are getting. I want to say that for 20% IL, they usually run at 2cal/ml, rate <.12 gm i don know if that varies from institution to but is how we figure ours.>

nekhismom

1,104 Posts

Thanks, bittybabygrower!

fergus51

6,620 Posts

Thanks for the info. Bitty, do you happen to remember the title or the author of that article? The reason I'm asking is one of the docs insists there have been no "good" studies showing it's necessary and it causes a big disagreement whenever he's on cause everyone else seems to think the babies will explode if we don't do it right away, all the time, every time we suspect any infection.

Specializes in NICU, PICU, educator.

From what I can deciper LOL I think it is from Pediatric Journal of Medicine, but I can't read my year. Let me see if I can ferret it out at work when I go back later this week.

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