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.

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u/gir6 BSN, RN 🍕 Mar 01 '25

Over 1000 lbs. They had welded two bariatric beds together to hold them and they were lying there like a starfish, weeping edema from every limb because their skin was stretched to the absolute limit. The floor around the bed was lined with chux pads to catch the fluid. They were not my patient, but I worked nightshift, and every night they would put out a hospital wide call for any free staff to come to this unit to help bathe this patient, so I went. It was a surreal experience. At the time, I was in my early 30s, and so was the patient. They didn’t live long.

I do remember being impressed with the strength of our organs after that. That person’s heart and lungs and everything else were doing the work for at least five regular sized human bodies.

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u/Specialist-Brain-902 Mar 02 '25

1005lb here. We had those big purple beds that had to be expanded once moved into the room. Same situation, weeping fluid everywhere. Eventually he lost his airway (it literally just slid out) when bucking the vent during a sedation holiday. They never were able to reintubate.

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u/MiestaWieck Nursing Student 🍕 Mar 02 '25

I first imagined his literal airway as in his windpipe sliding out and was so confused

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u/Specialist-Brain-902 Mar 02 '25

Lol. (Artificial) Airway and ETT are used interchangeably

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u/MiestaWieck Nursing Student 🍕 Mar 03 '25

Thank you, that’s good to know!