[3] In an interview, Dudrick stated: The entire ethos of Franklin & Marshall College infected me and transformed me from a kid from the coal regions to an avid would-be scholar.
As a surgical resident at the University of Pennsylvania, Dudrick realized that post-surgical malnutrition was a poorly recognized cause of death in patients who could not eat or absorb nutrients.
After many hours in the lab at the swing balances, measuring the precise amount of each chemical required,[3] he was able to keep beagles alive for months with TPN, by-passing their digestive systems.
The Geisinger School of Medicine wrote:[5] The number of lives of children that have been saved is estimated at over 10 million, and the benefit to adults with a range of conditions is no less substantial.
TPN is a lifesaving mainstay of therapy for a great proportion of the most critically ill patients in hospitals worldwide and amounts to one of the most significant developments in the history of surgery.
[11] Stanley Dudrick died on January 18, 2020, in Eaton, New Hampshire, due to complications of ailments including kidney failure.