Question

Kati is a 19-year-old female who suffered a head injury and multiple broken bones in a motorcycle accident. she is currently in a coma, on a mechanical ventilator, and receiving enteral nutrition. kati is 5'2" tall and weighs 115 pounds. if kati's enteral feeding is not providing adequate energy and protein to meet her nutritional needs, she will experience:

Answer 1

Answer: a loss of lean tissue

Enteral nutrition is a common method used to provide nutrients to comatose patients. Through a nasoduodenal or nasojejunal tube, food is delivered to the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. This tube goes directly to the stomach or small intestine.

The loss of lean tissue due to a lack of physical activity in comatose patients is inevitable and common. However, this process is accelerated and exacerbated if the patient does not receive enough nutrients. Thus, lean tissue will be used as an energy source, a state known as autocannibalism. This condition will bring additional health risks such as fever with/iwthout infaction, altered castric function, immunological dysfunction etc.

Answer 2

Enteral Nutrition or tube feeding is a way to enable patients who are unable to feed themselves in a different way, with nutrition if they have at least a partially functional GI track. Her condition places her at risk of hypermetabolism dye to stress. Which means her rate of metabolic activity will increase. Moreover, a loss of lean tissue will result if it does not meet her nutritional needs.