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Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN) is one of a series entitled "Clinical Pediatrics, Maternal and Child Health," and as such aims to cover modern methodologies, therapies, and advancements in the care of infants and children. The history of intravenously administered nutrition dates to 1843, when Claude Bernard infused sugar solutions into animals. However, glucose given intravenously was not popularized as a means of therapy for humans until the late 1930s. Intravenous administration of nitrogen-containing substances was disbanded in the 1940s because of side-effects, most notably thromboses. Very recently, a succession of reports have confirmed that many of the difficulties with TPN have been overcome and that solutions composed of protein hydrolysates-amino acids, hypertonic glucose minerals, and vitamins (when given appropriately to humans) can sustain prolonged anabolism and even growth in the young. Intravenous techniques of delivery have minimized the risks of thrombosis and infection; however, a long list of recognizable complications