Omega-6 sparing effects of parenteral lipid emulsions—an updated systematic review and meta-analysis on clinical outcomes in critically ill patients

Study answer

What this study found

Overall, omega-6 fatty acid-sparing parenteral nutrition did not significantly reduce mortality versus control (RR 0.91, 95% CI 0.76 to 1.10; p = 0.34). The clearest benefit was with fish oil-containing PN, which reduced infectious complications (RR 0.65, 95% CI 0.44 to 0.95; p = 0.03) and was associated with shorter hospital stay (WMD -6.88, 95% CI -11.27 to -2.49; p = 0.002). ICU length of stay was not significantly reduced overall (WMD -1.94, 95% CI -4.41 to 0.52; p = 0.12), and duration of mechanical ventilation was also nonsignificant (WMD -0.87, 95% CI -1.82 to 0.07; p = 0.07). Fish…

Study & population

This systematic review and meta-analysis included 20 trials (n = 1366) in critically ill adults aged 18 years or older admitted to intensive care.

Intervention

Intravenous omega-6 fatty acid-sparing parenteral lipid emulsions were compared with standard lipid emulsions in critically ill adults receiving parenteral nutrition.

Key limitation

Findings were heterogeneous across lipid formulations, comparators, and outcomes, with substantial heterogeneity for ICU length of stay (I2 = 83%).

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Original abstract