malnutrition Flashcards

1
Q

what is malnutrition?

A

a state in which a deficiency of nutrients such as protein, vitamins and minerals causes measurable adverse effects on body composition, function or clinical outcome

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2
Q

what is the mechanism of malnutrition?

A
  • inadequate intake
  • impaired nutrition, digestion and processing
  • excess losses
  • altered requirements
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3
Q

what is malabsorption of the dysfunction of?

A
  • stomach
  • intestine
  • pancreas
  • liver
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4
Q

what causes excess loss of nutrients?

A
  • vomiting
  • NG tube drainage
  • diarrhoea
  • surgical drains
  • fistulae
  • stomas
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5
Q

what increases metabolic demands?

A
  • inflammation
  • cancer
  • wounds
  • burns
  • brain injury
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6
Q

how does malnutrition affect healthy people?

A
  • ventilation: loss of muscle & hypoxic responses
  • impaired liver function & fatty change/necrosis
  • impaired gut integrity and immunity
  • decreased immunity and resistance to infection
  • impaired wound healing
  • psychology: depression/apathy
  • reduces cardiac output
  • impaired renal function
  • reduced strength
  • hypothermia
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7
Q

how do hospitals cause malnutrition?

A
  • inadequate/unpalatable/unsuitable foods
  • can’t reach food/can’t feed themselves
  • altered taste/poor appetite
  • NBM (nill by mouth)
  • starved for Ix
  • starved again if Ix is cancelled
  • starved before and after surgery
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8
Q

what are the medical causes of inadequate intake?

A
  • poor diet
  • poor apatite/anorexia/taste disturbances
  • nil by mouth
  • pain/nausea
  • dysphagia
  • depression
  • physical disability and inability to feed self
  • unconsciousness
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9
Q

what are the environmental causes of inadequate intake?

A
  • inadequate food quality
  • inadequate food availability outside the reach of the elderly of physically incapacitated patients
  • no protected meal times
  • inadequate training and knowledge of medical and nursing staff
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10
Q

what do you need to look out for with malnutrition?

A
  • low weight
  • weight loss
  • poor intake or predicted to become poor
  • poor absorptive capacity
  • high nutrient losses
  • increased nutritional needs
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11
Q

what has been done to help malnutrition?

A
  • must screening rolled out
  • yearly must screening
  • educating staff
  • protected meal times
  • volunteers helping at mealtimes
  • improving and recording food and fluid intake
  • dedicated nutrition support teams and dieticians
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