Abstract
Oligosaccharides are potential sources of carbohydrate-derived energy for use in parenteral nutrition regimens. Clinical studies indicate that although some patients utilize infused oligosaccharides well, many patients do not. These results suggest that oligosaccharides might be useful as a parenteral energy source for selected patients. This report describes a method, suitable for use by nursing staff on the ward, to determine oligosaccharide utilization and identify patients utilizing oligosaccharides well. Oligosaccharides excreted in urine are hydrolyzed enzymaticallly to glucose using α-glucosidase and α-amylase, and the glucose released is measured by a test tape method. The results obtained agree well with the acid hydrolysis-spectrophotometric assay for oligosaccharide excretion used in earlier studies. The method readily identified postsurgical patients utilizing infused oligosaccharides poorly in both prospective and retrospective studies. (Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition 11:124-128, 1987)
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