Early cholestasis in premature infants receiving total parenteral nutrition: a possible consequence of shock and hypoxia.

We report 18 premature infants (gestational age: 31.1 weeks +/- 2.6 [mean +/- SD] (range: 28-36]) with necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) who developed total parenteral nutrition (TPN) associated cholestasis. Liver function tests were performed at the start of TPN (D1) and repeated once a week. Considering the date of cholestasis onset (direct bilirubin > 30 mumol/l and/or serum bile salts > 10 mumol/l), the patients can be divided in two groups. The first group consisted of 9 patients who had cholestasis at D1. In these patients shock and/or hypoxia occurred prior to D1 and were the only risk factors of cholestasis identified before D1. The second group consisted of 9 patients who developed cholestasis after D1 and in whom the cause of cholestasis was multifactorial (sepsis, lack of enteral feeding, shock and/or hypoxia). These results suggest that shock and/or hypoxia can be responsible for early cholestasis in premature infants. We conclude that shock and hypoxia should be considered when discussing TPN-associated cholestasis.