Can My Mother Be Provided With Parenteral Nutrition At Home?

Posted on Thu, 26 Dec 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Thu, 26 Dec 2013 Answered on

Mon, 20 Jan 2014 Last reviewed on

Question : My 81 yr old mother is suffering with stomach cramps for two months she was on Carafate for a month and then switched to Lactulose for month since. A catscan was perform befor start of treatment. She has lost lot of energy and weight since she eats very little since on medication and strict tasteless diet and seriously need nutrition in body for function. My question is can a visiting Nurse come home in Moonachie N J 07074 and give her nutrition using I V equipment . Since her application for Medicare/Medicaid is being reviewed by government now how much this service can cost her out of pocket?

Answered by Dr. Vaishalee Punj (7 hours later)

Brief Answer: Hi Detailed Answer: Hi Thanks for posting your query on XXXXXXX I am sorry to know about your mother's health condition. I personally feel that the taking food enterally (naturally through mouth) is best for anyone. Parenteral nutrition through IV equipment has its own set of complications. I will answer specific queries asked by you 1) can a visiting Nurse come home? A) Yes, a patient can be provided with parenteral nutrition at home. It is a part of hospice care. 2) how much this service can cost her out of pocket? A) Apart from setting up the equipment, the service can cost between 14$ to 25$ a day depending on the catheter use, other instruments, route of insertion, complications of parenteral nutrition, etc. This is just an estimation based on information provided in medical journals and you need to confirm with the local authorities. Hope it helps Dr Vaishalee

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar