Getting Support for TPN Through The Oley Foundation

Receiving TPN (Total Parenteral Nutrition), also known as intravenous or IV nutrition, can result in a big lifestyle change for patients. Every year, US patients receive TPN in approximately 360,000 hospital visits, with approximately 1/3 of those patients being children and newborns.

TPN is administered to patients who have issues with their digestive systems so that they can receive the daily nutrients they need in order to survive. This includes patients who do not have a functioning GI tract, have disorders requiring complete bowel rest, are unable to swallow, or have other motility disorders. TPN provides patients with all or most calories and nutrients through solutions that contain a mixture of protein, carbohydrates, glucose, fat, vitamins and minerals.

Given the challenges that TPN patients face, our partner, The Oley Foundation, a national, independent, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, works to enrich the lives of patients dependent on home intravenous nutrition (parenteral) and tube feeding (enteral) through education, advocacy, and networking. The Foundation also serves as a resource for caregivers, clinicians and industry representatives.

We first became connected with The Oley Foundation because TPN is often administered using vascular access devices like PICC lines. TPN is administered in the hospital or at home through peripheral intravenous lines, midlines or, most commonly, central lines; PICC lines, Hickman catheters and Groshong catheters are the most common types of central lines. A number of TPN patients use our PICC Line Covers in order to keep their PICC Lines in place, while still allowing for line monitoring and dressing functionality through our (patent pending) mesh window. To learn more about TPN and how it is administered, check out our blog!

The Oley Foundation provides its 17,000 plus members with critical information on topics such as medical advances, research and health insurance. In addition to its ambassador network of consumers and caregivers, the Foundation is also a conduit for the donation and distribution of unused equipment and supplies including enteral formula, pumps, tubing, IV poles, and syringes. All Oley programs are offered free of charge to consumers and their families, as well as membership to the Foundation. The Oley Foundation also shares a number of patient stories, including that of Michaela Shelley, whose PICC Line story was also separately featured on our blog this summer!

Independent research funded by the NIH shows that contact with the Oley Foundation lowers the incidence of catheter-related sepsis, reduces reactive depression, gives members the tools and confidence they need to manage their therapy and enables members to achieve normalcy in their lives. We are proud to partner with an organization that aligns with our mission of providing positive and effective healing experiences for patients everywhere.

Want to meet representatives from The Oley Foundation? Find them at the upcoming Association for Vascular Access (AVA) Conference this Saturday in Phoenix, Arizona. For additional information about The Oley Foundation and its programs, visit www.oley.org.