Editing Nutrition – RN Flashcards (section)

== Assessment and Laboratory Values ==

;Which serum protein best reflects short-term response to nutrition support, and why?
:Prealbumin (transthyretin), normal 15 to 36 mg/dL, because its half-life is only 2 to 3 days. Albumin has a half-life of 18 to 21 days and reflects long-standing status and inflammation.

;Why can albumin be misleading as a nutrition marker?
:Albumin is a negative acute phase reactant. It falls with inflammation, infection, liver disease, nephrotic syndrome, and fluid overload, and rises with dehydration, independent of nutritional intake.

;What magnitude of unintentional weight loss indicates significant malnutrition?
:More than 5 percent of body weight in one month, or more than 10 percent in six months.

;How should daily weights be obtained, and how does weight relate to fluid?
:Same time each day, same scale, same clothing, after voiding, usually before breakfast. One kilogram of change equals approximately one liter of fluid, or about 2.2 pounds per liter.

;What are the BMI categories?
:Underweight below 18.5, normal 18.5 to 24.9, overweight 25.0 to 29.9, obesity 30.0 and above. BMI is unreliable with edema, ascites, high muscle mass, and sarcopenia.