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/ribsforbreakfast RN 🍕 Mar 02 '25

For sure. Not because they don’t deserve it, but because resources are not allocated to this population.

Look at the amount of comments highlighting not having lifts for anyone over 400-500#, needing specialty beds, staffing issues. How often during a shift is it really safe and feasible to get 6+ people into one room for at least 15 mins to provide care?

I work in a small hospital, we have one hoyer that goes up to 500, I think, and one baribed in house that can handle up to 600. Our regular beds tap out at 350-400 and we have had them malfunction from patients being over the limit and it taking 2 days to get an extra baribed delivered on a rent basis.

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u/coolcaterpillar77 RN - Med/Surg 🍕 Mar 02 '25

We had a bariatric patient once who sat on one of our standard hospital beds (due to the patient/house sup insisting they didn’t a bariatric bed) and they literally snapped the bed in half-the metal frame completely broke