Nutritional support of malnourished lactose intolerant African patients.

The effectiveness of two commonly available liquid diets was assessed in 40 severely malnourished black African patients. All patients were shown to have normal xylose absorption. The diets were given according to the manufacturer's recommendations.

Total parenteral nutrition--progress with the 3-litre bag.

Recently a disposable 3-litre plastic bag in which the 24-hour nutrient requirements for total parenteral nutrition can be mixed to provide a single solution was introduced to South Africa. We report our initial experience with the 3-litre bag (379 'catheter days'), comparing it with the conventional multiple-bottle system (267 days) in a series of 10 patients. The 3-litre bag system proved easier to administer and also reduced nursing supervision, improved metabolic control and reduced complications.