Have you ever had a patient with a JP drain that has copious amounts of white, odorless liquid emptying from it? This might be a…
Top 5 Things to tell Patients with High Output Ileostomies
Did you know that there are approximately 130,000 ileostomies done per year? More surprising is that 16-50% of these can be classified as “high output”.…
Supplementation for Patients with Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome
A few years ago, I came across this article that contains recommendations for vitamin and mineral supplementation for patients with alcoholism. Our small community hospital…
And Just Like That (Enteral Feeding Edition)
Decreasing our time doing redundant work The dietitians at my hospital are generally consulted to start any enteral feeding. Our policies and protocols allow us…
And Just Like That, our Weekend Hours Decreased, PN Version
Unnecessary Labor Like many dietitians who work in small community hospitals, it has become not only safer but also easier for the RD to be…
The Benefits of Using Pre-mixed PN Solutions
Last year, my facility changed from making only custom 3:1 TPN solutions mixed by the pharmacy to having pre-mixed bags of TPN to use primarily…
Vitamin and Mineral Supplementation after Gastric Bypass in the Hospitalized Patient
This is from a continuing education project that I did last year. I heavily referenced this article from the University of Virginia. We have had…
Supplementing Electrolytes in Specialized PN
I came across an exceptional article many years ago. This guide assists me for supplementing PN when it is being compounded by our pharmacy. It…
How to convert Milliequivalent to Milligrams for Nutrition Support
There have been many times over the years when a PCP has asked me “how many milligrams of (__) per day is this patient receiving…
Protein Needs for the Hospitalized Patient with Kidney Disease
Call the Nephrologist! This patient has an elevated BUN and creatinine, decreased urinary output and is critically ill! Many patients in the icu will have…