GI Flashcards
(157 cards)
Dehydration
Water and electrolyte imbalance occur more frequently and more rapidly in infants than in older children and adults
Infants are less prompt to adjust
Increased ECF until age 2
They have more water, Na, Cl outside the cell than inside the cells
Fluid losses
Fecal loss, urinary loss, insensible loss with the heat
humidity and if the child has a fever all contribute to the imbalance
7mL/kg/day of water loss for each degree > 37.2C
Environment changes that impact fluids
Temperature
Dryness of air
Characteristics that make infants susceptible to fluid depletion
Increase surface area relative to their body mass, causing greater insensible loss
High rate of metabolism, so there’s a greater need for water to excrete through the kidneys
Immature kidney function, aren’t able to fully concentrate or dilute urine or regulate the electrolytes
Implications
Get dehydrated from concentrated formulas
Maintenance Fluids
100mL - first 10kg
50mL - second 10kg
20mL- remaining kg
Add to get total per day, then divide by 24 to find how many mL/hr
Compensating for dehydration in children
1.5x maintenance
Signs of fluid overload
Crackles in lungs
Bulging fontanels
Skin turgor
Edema
ECF concentrations
Na is mostly in the ECF
K is mostly intracellular
ECF volume is decreased, so is the Na as usually most is lost from ECF: replacement fluids should be mostly Na
Isotonic loss
Loss of extracellular water and Na, compensation so electrolytes are WNL (Na 130-150)
Primary form of dehydration
No movement between the ICF and ECF: decreased blood volume = shock
Most common in children
Can see in the skin, muscles, and kidneys
Will see hypovolemic shock symptoms
Hypotonic/Hyponatremia
More electrolyte loss than water loss causing water to move from ECF to ICF to help the body compensate resulting in a decrease blood volume and decreased Na
Hypertonic/Hypernatremia
More water loss than electrolytes or increase in electrolytes
Fluid shift from lesser concentration ICF to ECF to compensate and an increase in Na
More neuro signs than blood volume signs
Most dangerous and can occur when the child is given large amounts of fluid by mouth that contain large amounts of solute or in children that receive high protein NG feedings that place an excessive solute load on the kidneys
Dehydration: Nursing assessment
Weight (most important, reflection of acute loss, mL/kg of water loss anywhere from 50-100mL/kg) LOC changes (irritable, lethargic, decreased response to stimuli Skin turgor (decreased) Cap refill (greater than 2 or 4 for severe dehydration) Increased HR BP changes Sunken eye and fontanels Skin (mottled and cool) Specific gravity (>1.020) Intake and output (output is decreased) Dry mucous membranes No tears
Diarrhea cause: Infection
Rotavirus
Especially in infants who attend daycare
Most often transferred fecal-oral route
Infants are immune up to 3 mo because of Ab from mom
Seen in children 3-24 months
Vaccine that is given at 2, 4 months: 85% protection
Severe diarrhea
Diarrhea cause: Giardia parasite
Common in toddlers
Treated with Flagyl or Furoxone
Transmitted from diaper contamination or daycare setting
Diagnosis: swallow a string with a gel cap and retrieve the sting later and sample to stool to see if the parasite is on it
Diarrhea cause: Pinworm
Eggs are ingested or inhaled from crowded day cares
Hatch in upper intestines where they mate and the females migrate to the anus to lay eggs
Causes itching, the child will scratch and eventually make it to the mouth
Contamination 2-3 weeks
Live on the toilet seat, door knobs, food and linen
Treatment: Vermox in children that are 2yr and greater, repeat in 2 weeks if not gone
Must treat whole house
Diarrhea cause: Other
Toxic reaction to ABX or dietary ingestion
Diarrhea Prevention
Hand washing
keep clean diaper area
keep nails short
Goals of therapy with D/V
Assessment of fluid and electrolyte imbalance
Rehydrate
Treat etiology or underlying cause
Glucose intolerance Diarrhea
Stool is explosive and watery
Neutrophils and RBCs in Stool
From inflammation or gastroenteritis
Eosinophil in stool
A protein intolerance or parasite infection
Oral rehydration therapy/Oral rehydration solution
1st line treatment
Enhance and promote the reabsorption of Na and water to help reduce vomiting
Successful then don’t have to bring child to the hospital
Want to reduce the volume loss from diarrhea
Oral rehydration therapy/Oral rehydration solution: Special solution
Less costly than IV therapy
Less traumatic
Try to get the child rehydrated orally first