Question

A 24-year-old woman is in the 10th week of her pregnancy. She has persistent nausea and vomiting for the past 6 weeks that has been associated with a 10% weight loss. Her nausea and vomiting is refractory to a 48 hour trial of anti-emetics and IV fluids. The decision to provide nutritional support is made to minimize further deterioration of the mother's nutritional status and possible negative effects on the fetus. What is the most appropriate initial nutrition therapy to implement?

1: Peripheral parenteral nutrition
2: Enteral nutrition via nasoenteric feeding tube
3: Total parenteral nutrition
4: Continue supportive care and reassess in 48 hours

Answer 1

For a pregnant woman with severe nausea and vomiting, enteral nutrition via a nasoenteric feeding tube is the most appropriate initial nutrition therapy due to its physiological benefits and lower infection risk compared to parenteral options.

Step-by-step explanation:

A 24-year-old woman in the 10th week of her pregnancy is experiencing persistent nausea and vomiting with significant weight loss, unresponsive to anti-emetics and IV fluids. When considering nutritional support to prevent further deterioration of the mother's nutritional status and to protect the fetus, the most appropriate initial nutritional therapy is enteral nutrition via a nasoenteric feeding tube. This method is less invasive than total parenteral nutrition and more physiologically appropriate when the gastrointestinal tract is functional, as it supports the normal gut flora and prevents gut atrophy. Additionally, enteral nutrition has a lower risk of infection compared to parenteral options.