Pulmonary Deposition of Calcium Phosphate Crystals as a Complication of Home Total Parenteral Nutrition

Abstract

A patient on home total parenteral nutrition (TPN) developed a diffuse granulomatous interstitial pneumonitis secondary to calcium phosphate deposition. Calcium and phosphorus concentrations in the TPN formula were not unusually high, indicating that other factors contributed to calcium phosphate crystallization. The effects of duration of storage of the TPN formulation, solution temperature, pH, and magnesium concentration on calcium phosphate precipitation are discussed.