Objective: Nutritional support products should preferably be administered orally whenever possible, with rare exceptions, one of which is gastrointestinal bleeding. In our study, we examined the effects of parenteral nutrition support, which we have recently introduced in the treatment of patients with gastrointestinal bleeding, on the hospitalization duration and mortality-morbidity of these patients.

Methods: We analyzed the patients admitted to the Internal Medicine Service with non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding in our study. Patients were retrospectively analyzed in two groups, based on the years in which total parenteral nutrition (TPN) was initiated (2016-2017) and not initiated (2012-2013). Hospitalization durations and discharge methods were compared between the two groups.

Results: Our study included a total of 369 cases after screening and application of our exclusion criteria. 35.5% of these cases received TPN, while 64.5% did not. When evaluated based on the TPN administration status after stabilizing the Rockall score of the patients, as well as considering the need for erythrocyte suspension (ES), fresh frozen plasma (FFP) replacement, and length of hospital stay, the length of hospital stay was significantly longer in those receiving TPN compared to those who did not.

Conclusion: Although TPN may be the preferred choice in patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding for whom oral nutrition is not suitable, our study suggests that this preference not only does not lead to a reduction in the number of blood and blood product replacements but also prolongs the hospital stay. While it is believed that complications of nutritional support with TPN may contribute to this result, our retrospective study did not provide data on this. Comprehensive prospective studies are needed on this issue.

Keywords: Parenteral nutrition, non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding, mortality