Evaluation of Serum Carnitine Levels for Pediatric Patients Receiving Carnitine-Free and Carnitine-Supplemented Parenteral Nutrition

摘要

Purpose:Carnitine is a carrier molecule transporting long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs) into the mitochondria for fatty acid β-oxidation. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the role of carnitine supplementation in parenteral nutrition (PN) within the pediatric population. Our goal was to determine a weight range for which empiric carnitine supplementation is justified and to determine a weight range at which a carnitine level should first be drawn to confirm a deficiency prior to supplementation. Secondarily, we tried to determine a relationship among carnitine deficiency, hypoglycemia, and hypertriglyceridemia.