Fluid Replacement problem-please help

Published

Hi All! Can someone please explain to me how to solve this particular problem and what is the general schema for solving such problems. Thanks!!!

Patient is NPO prior to going to the OR. Nurse's order is to administer 250cc/hr of NS plus add any additional patient losses. How much fluid would the nurse administer for 1100 o'clock?

Urine output NG suction

0900 15cc 10cc

1000 20cc 50cc

1100 10cc 40cc

1200 30cc 30cc

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

Hi, iratchka!

When you are replacing fluid losses, you are replacing cc for cc. So, at 11am you have fluid losses of 10cc urine output and 40cc NG suction output. Together that equals a total of 50cc of fluid loss. Since the IV fluids are being delivered at 250cc per hour, you add the 50cc of lost fluid replacement to the hourly rate to make the IV fluid delivery for that hour between 11am and 12noon 300cc. At noon you will re-calculate the amount of fluid to be infused. In this case, it will end up being 310cc over the next hour. Got it?

Welcome to allnurses! :welcome:

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thanks for help. But the answer is 320 cc. How can it be?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Critical Care, Cardiothoracics, VADs.

Because the question is how much would you administer for 11am. So you'd be looking at the losses fom the last hour - which was 70cc. 70 + 250 = 320cc.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Got it! Thanks a lot!!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion