ABSTRACT
Facing with an increasing demand for transition to adult care management, our home parenteral nutrition (HPN) team designed an adolescent therapeutic educational program (ATEP) specifically intended for adolescents on long-term HPN. The aim of this study was to report on the first sessions of this program. Methods: The ATEP is designed in three sessions of five consecutive days, during school holidays over the year. It includes group sessions on catheter handling, disconnecting and connecting the PN and catheter dressing, dealing with unforeseen events (e.g., fever or catheter injury), but also sessions with psychologist, social worker, sports teacher, fashion specialist, meeting with adults who received HPN since childhood. Specific course for the accompanying parents were also provided. Six months after the last session, a 3-day trip to the attraction park "le Futuroscope," Poitiers, France, was organized without any parental presence. Results: After 3 ATEP courses, a total of 16 adolescents have been enrolled. They were aged between 13 and 17 years (median 14 IQR: 14-16.25). All were on long term HPN started during the neonatal period except for four who started PN at a median age of 10 years old (IQR: 1-10). At the time of the ATEP, their median PNDI was 105% (IQR: 95.5-120.8) while receiving a median of six infusions per week (IQR: 5-7). Thirteen received Taurolidine lock procedure. After the ATEP, 11 adolescents could be considered as fully autonomous, 4 as partially autonomous and one failed to gain any autonomy. Course evaluation by adolescents or parents was good to excellent. Conclusion: Through the holistic and multiprofessional approach of this training and the group cohesion, the adolescents were not only able to handle catheter care and PN connections but were able to understand and accept better their illness and project themselves into their own future.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND & AIMS: CLABSI is a major complication in HPN and frequently leads to central venous catheter (CVC) removal. We developed a salvaging attitude in long term HPN patients due to the necessity of venous preservation. The main objective of this study is to determine the prognosis of CLABSI. METHODS: We followed-up for three months, in an approved HPN centre, a cohort of 250 adult patients receiving HPN with CLABSI from 2018 to 2020. CLABSI was defined by a blood culture growth differential [peripheral blood] - [CVC blood] ≥ 2h. A therapeutic approach to conserve CVC was established according to the department's protocol. The primary endpoint was conservation of CVC with negative CVC and peripheral blood cultures at 3 months without complications. RESULTS: Data from 30 CLABSIs were collected for 22 HPN patients. The incidence rate of CLABSIs was 0.28 infections/1000 catheter days. Sixteen CVCs were removed immediately, with causes due to the type of germ (staphylococcus aureus: n = 6, candida parapsilosis: n = 4, klebsiella: n = 2), chronic colonization (n = 4) or initial complications (n = 4). Among the 14 non-removed CVC, 11 were maintained at 3 months with blood cultures on CVC and peripheral negative for 9 (80%) of them. 3 CVC were removed during the 3 months follow-up (non-CVC-related sepsis n = 2, and resistant pseudomonas aeruginosa n = 1). CONCLUSION: The incidence rate of CLABSIs in an expert HPN centre remains low. In case of CLABSIs, according to specific protocol, approximately 50% of CVC were removed immediately (essentially due to bacteriological characteristics). In case of CLABSIs and without initial complication, 80% of CVCs can be maintained at 3 months. These results justify a conservative attitude according to standardized protocol.
