Editing Nutrition – LPN Flashcards (section)

== Intake and Output ==

;Which foods count as fluid intake?
:Anything liquid at body temperature: water, juice, milk, coffee, tea, broth, soup, gelatin, popsicles, ice cream, sherbet, and nutritional supplement drinks. Solid foods such as applesauce, mashed potatoes, and cereal are documented as a percentage of the meal eaten, not as fluid intake.

;How are ice chips documented?
:At approximately half the volume of the container, because melted ice occupies about half the space of the chips. A 200 mL cup of ice chips is recorded as 100 mL.

;What common household-to-metric conversions are used for intake?
:1 ounce equals 30 mL, 1 cup or 8 ounces equals 240 mL, 1 pint equals 480 mL, 1 quart equals about 960 mL, and 1 liter equals 1000 mL.

;What counts as output?
:Urine, liquid stool, emesis, nasogastric and other tube drainage, wound and drain output, and measurable ostomy output. Estimate and describe diaphoresis and wound saturation when they cannot be measured.

;What weight change should be reported to the RN in a client with heart failure or fluid restriction?
:A gain of 2 to 3 pounds in 24 hours or 5 pounds in a week. Weight change appears before edema and shortness of breath, so it is the earliest warning of fluid retention.

;How is a daily weight obtained accurately?
:Same time each morning, same scale, same amount of clothing, after voiding, usually before breakfast. One kilogram equals about 1 liter of fluid, or about 2.2 pounds per liter.