Question

A severely burned patient's estimated nutrition needs are: 1800 - 2100 calories and 120-150 grams of protein. A tube feeding formula rate at 75 mL provides 1800 calories and 115.2 grams of protein. What adjustments do you recommend to reach the estimated needs?

1) Keep the tube feeding rate at 75 mL and add one packet of a protein supplement to the tube feeding (ex. Beneprotein provides 25 kcal, 6 gm protein each).
2) Increase the rate to 85 ml/hr
3) Either I or II
4) Neither I nor II

Answer 1

Choosing option 1, which is to keep the tube feeding rate at 75 mL and adding a protein supplement, appears most suitable as it helps meet the required protein intake without exceeding calorie needs. Increasing the rate to 85 mL/hr may lead to exceeding the calorie limit.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine whether to keep the tube feeding rate at 75 mL and add a protein supplement or to increase the rate to 85 mL/hr, we can calculate the additional nutritional needs that are not being met by the current tube feeding formula. With a requirement of 1800 - 2100 calories and 120-150 grams of protein, increasing the rate to 85 mL/hr could exceed the calorie requirements since the current rate already provides 1800 calories. Instead, option 1 appears more appropriate as it addresses the specific deficit in protein intake without overshooting the calorie requirement.

One packet of Beneprotein increases the protein by 6 grams without adding excessive calories, helping to meet the estimated needs of 120-150 grams of protein.