What is refeeding syndrome

Case Study #1: NFS 2230 Summer 2021

Name ________________________________

Instructions: Below you will find a description of a patient’s medical and nutritional history. Complete the questions and submit this form to the instructor through Blackboard or as an e-mail attachment. If you send it by e-mail, save as a word or pdf or .rtf document. Then, get out of blackboard and send it by e-mail. For some reason, e-mails sent through blackboard often do not arrive in my in box. Point values for each question are given in parentheses. Questions may have more than one part, so answer all parts for full credit. You may need to use information from chapters 13, 14, 15 or 16 to complete this assignment. Do your own work. Identical answers will receive zero credit. Put your name on your assignment paper.

Patient: Mrs. Carson is a 75 year old retired high school biology teacher. She is married and has three grown children. She has recently had trouble swallowing, has very little appetite, but her GI tract (stomach, intestines) is functioning normally. Due to the trouble swallowing, she is at high risk for aspiration. She is 5’1″ and 126 pounds. However, she was 142 pounds (usual adult weight) before the diagnosis of dysphagia or trouble swallowing (one month ago). The physician anticipates that Mrs. Carson will need a tube feeding for 2 to 3 weeks.

1. Calculate Mrs. Carson’s current IBW, % UBW and current % IBW. Use the Hamwi equation from the lecture notes to calculate IBW (Do not use BMI for this). Explain if she is at risk of mild, moderate or severe malnutrition based on these calculations. Show your calculations. Simply writing the answers will receive no credit. (7 points)

a. IBW

b. %UBW

c. %IBW

d. Is she at risk of malnutrition based on her %UBW and %IBW? What level? Explain why or why not.

2. The healthcare team decided to put Mrs. Carson on a nasojejunal tube feeding. Why did they put her on a nasojejunal tube feeding instead of a nasogastric, gastrostomy (PEG) tube feeding or other type of tube feeding route? Give two reasons for your answer. (4 points)

3. The textbook lists several tube feeding complications that can occur in a patient. Pretend you started Mrs. Carson on the tube feeding. List two specific complications you would look for, AND for each complication, describe briefly how you could manage the complication. (4)

Complication 1:

Complication 2:

EXTRA CREDIT (2): What is refeeding syndrome? Describe in 2 to 3 sentences.