Question

The nurse is caring for a 120 kg male who is brought in after a warehouse fire and is calculating the patient's fluid resuscitation needs. He has painful red blistering to the entire surface of both upper extremities and superficial burns to the anterior chest. Using the modified Lund and Browder chart to calculate the total BSA burned, how much IV fluids would be administered in the first 8 hours?

1) 1140 mL
2) 2280 mL
3) 3420 mL
4) 4560 mL

Answer 1

To calculate IV fluids using the modified Lund and Browder chart, the BSA burned is needed. The Parkland formula is used for fluid resuscitation, requiring specific percentages of BSA burned for accurate calculations. The question lacks these details, preventing determination of the exact fluid amount.

Step-by-step explanation:

The calculation of intravenous fluids for a patient with burns over a specified area of the body requires the assessment of the total body surface area (BSA) affected by the burns. Using the modified Lund and Browder chart, the nurse can calculate the percentage of the BSA involved with burns. The extent of the burns to both the upper extremities and the anterior chest must be determined. Once the percentage is calculated, the fluid resuscitation needs are typically based on the Parkland formula, which is 4 mL of crystalloid (lactated Ringer's solution) per kilogram of body weight per percentage of BSA burned, given over the first 24 hours after the burn, with half of the fluid administered in the first 8 hours.

To provide a concrete answer to the amount of IV fluids that should be given in the first 8 hours, the specific percentages of BSA burned assigned to the upper extremities and the anterior chest would be needed. This detailed question does not provide those specific percentages or the necessary application of the Lund and Browder chart to provide an accurate calculation of the fluid resuscitation requirements.