A critically ill client has a fever. By which percent should the nurse adjust the energy expenditure calculation for every degree F for this client?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Fever causes elevated energy expenditure as the body responds with increased heart rate and respirations. The clinical nutrition practice is to increase the energy expenditure calculation by 7% for each 1-degree F that the temperature is elevated to compensate for this increase. This has been shown to be especially helpful for an already critically ill patient with altered metabolic needs because of illness.

A Critically Ill Client Has a Fever