Parenteral Nutrition

Baxter’s extensive range of parenteral nutrition products includes lipid emulsions, amino acids, glucose solutions, multivitamins and trace elements.

Baxter Healthcare has 7 compounding pharmacies across Australia and New Zealand. These facilities compound an extensive and expanding range of parenteral nutrition formulations, both standard and customised, for hospitals and patients in their homes.

What is Parenteral Nutrition:
Parenteral nutrition may be the only alternative to meeting a persons nutrition requirements when they:

• Cannot eat
• Should not eat
• Can not eat enough

The therapy may be indicated in conditions such as gastrointestinal malabsorption, short bowel syndrome, fistula, prolonged ileus, critical illness, extensive burns, and cancer.

Within the Nutrition portfolio Baxter offers the following product categories:

Amino Acid Solutions

• Amino acids are the building blocks of protein and are the protein source of parenteral nutrition solutions. They are also the precursors for the biosynthesis important biological and physiological compounds in the body.
• These solutions contain a mixture of essential and non-essential amino acids.
• Protein requirements may be elevated during illness and rehabilitation.
• Baxter has amino acid solutions for both adults (Synthamin) and neonates (Primene).
• Baxter’s neonatal amino acid solution is based on the profile of umbilical cord blood.

Glucose Solutions

• Glucose is the carbohydrate, and primary energy source of parenteral nutrition solutions.
• Glucose is the major circulating fuel in the body and may be used by most cells of the body.

Lipid Emulsions

• Lipids are the “fat” component of parenteral nutrition.
• Lipids are a source of energy and essential fatty acids.
• Baxter has Ivelip 20% a soybean based lipid emulsion and ClinOleic 20% an olive oil based emulsion.

Trace Elements

• Baxter locally manufactures a range of trace element solutions suitable for infusion in both adults and neonates.
• Many of the trace elements are now recognised as being essential for human nutrition.
• Trace elements that may be required in parenteral nutrition therapy include: Zinc, Copper, Iron, Manganese, Selenium, Chromium, Iodide, Molybdenum and Fluoride.

Multi-Vitamins

Vitamins are essential components of all nutrition support regimens, as they act as coenzymes and cofactors in multiple metabolic processes. They cannot by synthesized by the body and therefore need to be given exogenously.

Baxter's adult multivitamin preparation Cernevit delivers 12 vitamins in one vial, providing the daily needs for vitamins (both water and fat soluble).

“Vitamins and trace elements are an essential part of all artificial nutritional regimens, whether by intravenous or enteral routes. Development of all but the rarest could be regarded as a failure in basic nutritional care to meet fairly obvious needs.” (Shenkin 2003)

Compounded Solutions

Baxter Pharmacy Services compound the following parenteral nutrition solutions:

• Neonatal (standard and daily)
• Adult (standard and patient specific)
• Home
• Additives in prefilled syringes (multivitamins, trace elements, other)
• Other solutions on request

These solutions are delivered direct to the hospital or home.

Multichambered Bags:

• Baxter Pharmacy Services are able to compound into both dual and triple chamber bags offering flexibility in terms of formulations.
• The triple chamber bag is an innovation in parenteral nutrition delivery systems.
• Baxter’s triple chamber bag has three vertical compartments into which a range of standard or customised solutions of varying volumes can be added.
• Baxter’s triple chamber bag offers an extended shelf life of up to 12mths at room temperature storage.
• Formulations delivered in the dual and triple chamber bags are “ready to use” offering the simplicity of one patient, one line, one bag, one day

Services

Education and Technical Support

Supporting Baxter’s range of Intravenous Nutrition Products is a highly trained and committed team of clinical specialists, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians who provide continuing education on the therapy of parenteral nutrition, technical support to pharmacists, physicians, dietitians and nursing staff support to our home patients and their carers.

These services include workshops and seminars, access to clinical consultants, Onecall Medical Information Service and ongoing stability programs.

Parenteral Nutrition in the Home

The Baxter HomeCare program has been in place for over 20 years and supports patients to manage their parenteral nutrition therapy independently in their homes.

To facilitate this process Baxter provides:

• Individualised training for patients and staff
• Weekly delivery of parenteral nutrition solutions
• An infusion pump and associated consumables
• Ancillaries
• Specific HomeCare phone support specialist
• A 24 hour 7 day a week On Call Service to support home patients with their Baxter products and equipment
• The services to accommodate domestic and global travel for patient holidays and working needs

Although our infrastructure and support is vast we treat each patient as an individual. Our emphasis on making patients feel re-assured, comfortable and at ease through dedicated teams of coordinators and drivers. The team ensures patients always have the correct supplies available in their homes to administer their therapy.

Working together with patients, Clinicians and health care practitioners, Baxter will continue to strive to provide home based services and support; safely, simply and economically.