Background & aims: Patients who have chronic intestinal failure require home parenteral nutrition (HPN) support. Intravenous lipid emulsions (IVLEs) are a vital part of HPN. The conventional IVLE is based on pure soybean oil, which contains a high concentration of omega-6 fatty acids. Alternative IVLEs are commercially available. These contain various oil blends and have different fatty acid compositions from soybean oil that could provide benefit to patients on HPN. The aim of this systematic review is to assess the effects of different IVLEs in adult patients requiring HPN.

Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted up to October 2019 using relevant search terms in the Medline, EMBASE and CINAHL databases. Only randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in adults on HPN that compared two or more IVLEs were included. Data were extracted and the Cochrane Collaboration's tool for assessing risk of bias was used.

Results: Six articles were identified for inclusion in this systematic review. Studies differed according to sample size, duration and the IVLEs compared. Four studies found no increased risk of adverse effects related to the different IVLEs, whilst one study found a higher frequency of serious adverse events with soybean oil. One study found higher serum α-tocopherol with the blend of soybean oil, medium chain triglycerides, olive oil and fish oil. Inflammatory markers were not affected by different IVLEs in three studies. Differences in liver function tests were minimal, but one study found slight abnormalities in patients receiving soybean oil. IVLEs containing olive oil or fish oil modified the blood fatty acid profile. No studies reported essential fatty acid deficiency.

Conclusions: There may be benefits of using alternative IVLEs to soybean oil-based emulsions in adults requiring HPN, although there is currently insufficient evidence to determine superiority of one formulation over another. More and larger RCTs are required in this area.