A -year-old man is brought to the emergency department by his partner due to worsening lethargy and near-syncope. Over the past year, he has severely restricted his dietary intake and exercises intensely for hours daily, expressing a profound fear of gaining weight. Physical examination reveals temporal wasting and lanugo over his trunk. Temperature is (), blood pressure is , pulse is , and respirations are . His body mass index is . Electrocardiogram reveals sinus bradycardia with a prolonged QTc interval. Initial laboratory studies show:
| Laboratory test | Result |
|---|---|
| Potassium | |
| Magnesium | |
| Phosphorus |
Arrange the following clinical management steps in the most appropriate chronological sequence for this patient.
- 1Admit to an inpatient medical telemetry unit
- 2Administer intravenous electrolyte replacement
- 3Initiate gradual enteral caloric rehabilitation
- 4Transfer to an inpatient psychiatric eating disorder unit
- 5Commence outpatient cognitive-behavioral therapy
Cevap
The correct sequence is: Admit to an inpatient medical telemetry unit → Administer intravenous electrolyte replacement → Initiate gradual enteral caloric rehabilitation → Transfer to an inpatient psychiatric eating disorder unit → Commence outpatient cognitive-behavioral therapy.
Patients with severe anorexia nervosa presenting with profound malnutrition, vital sign instability, and electrolyte abnormalities require a sequential step-up to step-down approach. The first priority is preventing sudden cardiac death. The presence of severe bradycardia, hypotension, and QTc prolongation mandates immediate admission to a medical unit with continuous cardiac telemetry. Second, profound electrolyte deficits (hypokalemia, hypomagnesemia, hypophosphatemia) must be aggressively corrected. If caloric rehabilitation is initiated before correcting these deficits, the resulting insulin surge will drive remaining electrolytes intracellularly, triggering fatal refeeding syndrome. Third, once electrolytes are being supplemented, gradual enteral caloric rehabilitation is initiated with strict monitoring. Fourth, when the patient becomes medically stable (normal vital signs, stable electrolytes on oral supplementation), they are transferred to an inpatient psychiatric unit specialized in eating disorders to continue supervised weight restoration and begin intensive behavioral therapy. Finally, upon achieving a safe weight and demonstrating sufficient behavioral control, the patient is discharged to initiate outpatient cognitive-behavioral therapy.
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Anahtar Kavram
Management of severe anorexia nervosa requires immediate medical stabilization (telemetry, electrolyte correction) to prevent refeeding syndrome and arrhythmias, followed by gradual nutritional rehabilitation, and subsequently transitioning to psychiatric step-down care.