Question

A patient with acute pancreatitis is started on parenteral nutrition. The student nurse listed possible interventions for this patient. Which intervention needs correction before finalizing the plan of care?

a. Change the intravenous tubing every 24 hours.
b. Infuse antibiotics through the intravenous line.
c. Monitor the blood glucose every 6 hours.
d. Monitor the fluid and electrolyte balance.

Answer 1

The intervention that needs correction is infusing antibiotics through the intravenous line used for parenteral nutrition, as this can increase the risk of infection.

Step-by-step explanation:

The intervention that needs correction before finalizing the plan of care for a patient with acute pancreatitis started on parenteral nutrition is b. Infuse antibiotics through the intravenous line. While changing the intravenous tubing every 24 hours, monitoring blood glucose every 6 hours, and monitoring the fluid and electrolyte balance are appropriate interventions, infusing antibiotics through the same line as parenteral nutrition should typically be avoided. Parenteral nutrition solutions provide an ideal environment for microbial growth, and using the same line for antibiotics could increase the risk of contamination and infection. Therefore, antibiotics are usually administered through a separate line to minimize the risk of catheter-related bloodstream infections.