Question

A 90-kg male is scheduled for an inguinal hernia repair at 7 a.m. He has not had any food or water since dinner the night before (7 p.m.). What is his water deficit?

A) 1,560 mL
B) 850 mL
C) 1,750 mL
D) 550 mL
E) 2,750 mL

Answer 1

The water deficit for a 90-kg male after 12 hours of fasting would be close to half of the daily recommended water intake from beverages, which is approximately 1.48 liters or 1480 mL, with the closest answer being 1,560 mL.

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the water deficit of a 90-kg male who has not consumed water since 7 p.m. the night before a 7 a.m. surgery, we need to know the daily water requirements for an adult male and consider the amount of time the patient has been fasting.

The Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommends an Adequate Intake (AI) of 3.7 liters of water per day for adult males. This amount should account for both beverages and water content from food. Since 20% of dietary water comes from solid foods, we can estimate that the remaining 80% needs to be consumed through beverages.

Given that the patient has been fasting for 12 hours, let's calculate the water loss:

• 80% of 3.7 liters = 2.96 liters (amount of water from beverages the patient should consume)
• To find the deficit for half a day (12 hours) we divide this amount by 2, which gives us 2.96 liters / 2 = 1.48 liters or 1480 mL.
• Considering the fasting period and the recommended intake, the closest answer is (A) 1,560 mL.