Identification and Early Treatment of Dehydration in Home Parenteral Nutrition and Home Intravenous Fluid Patients Prevents Hospital Admissions

Background: Early identification and treatment of dehydration is prudent in patients requiring home parenteral nutrition (HPN) or home intravenous fluids (HIVF) to prevent hospital admissions for dehydration. Our home nutrition support service (HNS) developed a protocol in 2010 to provide additional bags of HIVF to be kept on hand for immediate use in patients identified at risk of developing dehydration. Methods: A retrospective review was performed on all HPN and HIVF patients from a clinical database who received additional HIVF during 2010. Standard treatment for dehydration was 1 L HIVF daily for 3 days in addition to prescribed infusions. Results: Of 308 HNS patients in 2010, additional HIVF were ordered in 161 patients with malabsorption, fistula, or obstruction. Of the 161 patients, 63% (n = 102) required additional HIVF and had 201 episodes of dehydration recorded. Increased enterostomy output (P = .021), negative intake and output (I/O data) (P = .014), and age (P = .021) were predictors of multiple dehydration episodes. I/O data were consistent with signs and symptoms of dehydration 80% of the time. One hundred seventy episodes (84.5%) of dehydration were successfully treated at home compared with 9 emergency room (ER) admissions (4.5%) and 22 hospital admissions (11%) for dehydration. Conclusion: We demonstrate 84.5% of episodes of dehydration successfully treated in the home in patients initially identified at risk by our protocol. Education of patients at risk of dehydration prior to discharge and providing additional HIVF on hand for immediate use may avoid ER treatment or hospitalization and potentially save healthcare costs. (Nutr Clin Pract. 2012;27:802-807)