Parenteral nutrition: uses, indications, and compounding.

Decreased caloric and other nutrient intake can complicate the course of both mild and serious illness. With proper case selection, providing parenteral nutrition (PN) can improve clinical outcome, reduce hospitalization time, and reduce the cost of patient care. Many pharmacy facilities can compound PN formulations; with proper staff training and patient monitoring resources, PN can be administered in many veterinary practices. This article discusses the components of PN formulations as well as the criteria for rational selection of patients to receive PN.