Effects of fat-emulsion-based early parenteral nutrition for patients after hemihepatectomy

Abstract This study investigates the effects of fat-emulsion-based early parenteral nutrition in patients following hemihepatectomy, addressing a critical gap in clinical knowledge regarding parenteral nutrition after hemihepatectomy. We retrospectively analyzed clinical data from 274 patients received non-fat-emulsion-based parenteral nutrition (non-fatty nutrition group) and 297 patients received fat-emulsion-based parenteral nutrition (fatty nutrition group) after hemihepatectomy. Fat-emulsion-based early parenteral nutrition significantly reduced levels of postoperative aspartate aminotransferase, total bilirubin, and direct bilirubin, while minor decreases in red blood cell and platelet counts were observed in the fatty nutrition group. Importantly, fat-emulsion-based early parenteral nutrition shortened lengths of postoperative hospital stay and fasting duration, but did not affect the incidence of short-term postoperative complications. Subgroup analyses revealed that the supplement of omega-3 fish oil emulsions was significantly associated with a reduced inflammatory response and risk of postoperative infections. These findings indicate that fat-emulsion-based early parenteral nutrition enhances short-term postoperative recovery in patients undergoing hemihepatectomy.