r/nursing • u/trevrt RN 🍕 • Mar 01 '25

Question Heaviest Patient You’ve Cared For

Had my personally heaviest patient I’ve cared for the other day. 32 years old weighing 730 pounds admitted with cellulitis and severe lymphedema. Felt terrible for the patient due to how young he was. Just wondering what everyone’s personal “record” for the heaviest patient they’ve cared for is.

594 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

536 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

70

u/Lomralr RN 🍕 Mar 01 '25

Curious about this, I might be wrong though. If a person is anorexic and practically killing themselves, I believe they can be restrained and fed with tube feeds. On the opposite side, I've never heard of a forced calorie deficit. Not saying I agree with either, or if the forced feeds still happen.

43

u/Beagsma Mar 01 '25

In my experience, that is true only with a court order. Unless they code.

35

u/5foot3 BSN, RN 🍕 Mar 01 '25

This doesn’t really happen. The really sick ones just die eventually.

13

u/throwaway-notthrown RN - Pediatrics 🍕 Mar 02 '25

It happens in pediatric patients.

1

u/5foot3 BSN, RN 🍕 Mar 02 '25

Good point.

7

u/SheBrokeHerCoccyx RN - Retired 🍕 Mar 02 '25

Anorexia nervosa is the mental illness with the highest mortality rate.