The purpose of the study is to investigate if intravenous fish oil, commercially available as Omegaven, safely and effectively reverses parenteral nutrition associated cholestasis in children.
Infants dependent on parenteral nutrition for greater than 1 year who develop parenteral nutrition associated cholestasis will universally face mortality unless they receive a timely liver and/or small bowel transplant. Although transplant survival has improved in recent years, survival is not guaranteed, and transplant care remains costly. Alternative nutritional and pharmacological strategies are imperative to improve the clinical outcomes of infants with intestinal failure and parenteral nutrition associated cholestasis. In both animal and human studies, intravenous fish oil, a lipid emulsion rich in omega-3 fatty acids and Vitamin E, and lacking phytosterols, has been shown to ameliorate parenteral nutrition associated cholestasis and improve morbidity and mortality. The purpose of this pilot study is to investigate if Omegaven, a commercially available intravenous fish oil, at 1 g/kg/d, will safely reverse liver disease in 80 subjects with parenteral nutrition associated cholestasis. Subjects can initially receive a maximum of 6 months (24 weeks) of intravenous fish oil. If the subject re-develops liver disease and still satisfies inclusion/exclusion criteria, the intervention can be restarted. Study subjects will be compared to a historical cohort of children with Short Bowel Syndrome and parenteral nutrition associated cholestasis who have been receiving standard intravenous soybean oil for \> 60 days. The fish oil cohort will be followed for a total of 5 years to determine if transplant-free mortality is reduced.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
62
0.5 g/kg/d intravenous every day for 2 days, then 1 g/kg/d intravenous everyday
University of California, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California, United States
Time to Reversal of Parenteral Nutrition Associated Cholestasis
weeks
Time frame: 24 weeks, death, transplant, or discontinuation of Parenteral Nutrition (whichever comes first)
Death
expiration
Time frame: 24 weeks, transplant, or discontinuation of Parenteral Nutrition (whichever comes first)
Number of Participants Who Underwent a Transplant
includes isolated liver or multi-visceral transplant including liver graft
Time frame: 24 weeks, death, or discontinuation of Parenteral Nutrition (whichever comes first)
Time to Full Enteral Feeds
discontinuation of parenteral nutrition
Time frame: 24 weeks, death, transplant, or discontinuation of Parenteral Nutrition (whichever comes first)
Growth Z-scores
Weight Z-scores at the end of the study. Formula used: (weight at end of study-average weight of reference population)/standard deviation of weight of reference population. The Z-score indicates the number of standard deviations away from the mean. A weight Z-score of 0 is equal to the mean with negative numbers indicating values lower than the mean and positive values higher. A weight Z-score \</= -2 indicates an underweight or malnourished status, while a weight Z-score \>/= 2 indicates an overweight or obese status.
Time frame: 24 weeks, death, transplant, or discontinuation of Parenteral Nutrition (whichever comes first)
Platelet Counts at the End of the Study - Risk of Bleeding
platelet counts at the end of the study
Time frame: 24 weeks, death, transplant, or discontinuation of Parenteral Nutrition (whichever comes first)
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Number of Participants With Essential Fatty Acid Deficiency
triene:tetraene ratio less than 0.2
Time frame: 24 weeks, death, transplant, or discontinuation of Parenteral Nutrition (whichever comes first)
Markers of Inflammation
Serum Cytokines - interleukin-8
Time frame: 24 weeks, death, or discontinuation of Parenteral Nutrition (whichever comes first)
Markers of Sterol Metabolism
Serum Phytosterols - stigmasterol
Time frame: 24 weeks, death, or discontinuation of Parenteral Nutrition (whichever comes first)
Markers of Bile Acid Metabolism
Serum Bile acids - total chenodeoxycholic acid
Time frame: 24 weeks, death, or discontinuation of Parenteral Nutrition (whichever comes first)
Markers of Fatty Acid Metabolism
Erythrocyte fatty acid - Docosahexaenoic Acid
Time frame: 24 weeks, death, or discontinuation of Parenteral Nutrition (whichever comes first)