Question

You are a nurse in an Intensive Care Unit. Your patient, Mr Brown, has been on a vent for about 71 hours. He is receiving IV fluids but no other nutrition (by IV or mouth). Why would it be important to keep the interdisciplinary team updated with the following: amount of days on vent, fluids via 0.9NaCl (NS) in a 24 hour period, and the amount of time he has been NPO ("nil per os", nothing by mouth).

From what you have learned about protein and fat:

-Why would introducing Total Parental Nutrition (TPN), Peripheral Parental Nutrition (PPN), or a Eternal Nutrition (Tube feeding via PEG or Dobbhoff) be important?

-Why do you think early intervention of nutrition would/would not be important for a person in critical condition? Please site sources.

-How would you explain to the family what is happening with the patients nutritional and fluid status when they ask "How is Mr Brown receiving nutrition? The man loved to eat!".  

Answer 1

1ans) Total parenteral nutrition: total parenteral nutrition is a technique in which the patients body is provided with nutrients intravenously so that the process of eating and digestion are skipped in a patient.

Total parenteral nutrition is important because of the following

a) to save the life of the patient who is not able to eat food to live

b) this parenteral nutrition provides nutrients to the patient’s body, nutrients such as salts, glucose and electrolytes

c) this helps in providing energy to the body
Peripheral parenteral nutrition: peripheral parenteral nutrition is also a method of providing the patients body with nutrients but outside the superior vena cava. This fulfills the patients nutritional needs

Paripheral parenteral nutrition is important because of the following

a) it is important in providing majority of the nutrients to the body

b) it is important for the patient who has not eaten food for a week

c) this is important for the patient suffering from dehydration and other conditions

2ans) Early intervention of nutrition is important because of the following:

a) early intervention of nutrition may reduce the rate of risk

b) long stay in the hospital can be minimized

c) readmitting of the patient in the hospital may not happen

d) cost of patients treatment can be reduced by taking nutrition early

3ans) firstly importance of IV should be explained to the family of Mr. Brown

b) health benefits should also be explained

c) patients family should be consoled by saying them that the treatment provided is beneficial to the patient and Mr.Brown will be alright soon

d) side effects of the iv must also be explained