Crazy Weight Gain? or not?

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Help! I am working on a care plan that is due tomorrow. I just realized that the patient's chart shows an admission weight of 133 lbs, and a week later the chart shows her weight at 169! She was admitted for renal failure, and I know that causes weight gain, but isn't this a bit too much? Do you guys think this is a mistake?

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Specializes in CTICU.

It's probably fluid retention r/t renal failure, if she's not being dialysed. Is she?

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Specializes in Oncology, Palliative Care, Hospice.

It seems like an excessive amount to me. I would question one of those numbers for sure...correct my math if I'm wrong but that's a gain of 36 lbs, and a pint is approx one pound, so she's retaining 18L of fluid? Is she THAT edematous? Are her lungs wet? I'm a relatively new grad, so I could be wrong, but in all of nursing school and in 2 months of practice I have never heard anything over 8-10L.

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Thanks so much for your input! I think it is an error, probably on the admission weight. I think sometimes the person who admits just guesses or asks a family member, especially when it is an emergency admission. She only had +2 edema in her lower extremities bilaterally. She didn't sound wet either. They had not started dialisis. Will show it as possible error in my care plan. THANKS AGAIN!!!

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Specializes in ICU, Emergency Department.

Maybe she was 163 on admission and up to 169. That sounds a lot more reasonable if she's only +2 in LE and - adventitious breath sounds.

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Maybe it's due to the use of different scales?

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

I think it depends on whether the 133 pounds is a weight that is stated by the patient or it could also be a different scale that was used to weigh her than when they got the 169. This is why the same scale should always be used to weigh the patient.

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