Problem
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).
1) Why might the patient not receive other nutrition (by IV or mouth) outside of IV fluids?
2) What is a ventilator, why is it used, and how does it impact the patient?
3) Why would it be important to keep the interdisciplinary team updated with the following: the number of days on a 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).
4) How would you explain to the family what is happening with the patient's nutritional and fluid status when they ask, "How is Mr. Brown receiving nutrition? The man loved to eat!"