Reducing Electrolyte Monitoring for Refeeding Syndrome in Adolescents with Disordered Eating

Introduction: Refeeding syndrome is a life-threatening complication of weight restoration from malnutrition due to restrictive eating disorders. It is characterized by onset in the early stages of nutritional rehabilitation with electrolyte abnormalities, particularly hypophosphatemia, and can result in pulmonary edema, congestive heart failure, and death. Our institution often monitored electrolytes twice a day during the initial five days of nutritional rehabilitation of eating disorder patients; our default order sets included this frequency. Our clinical team was concerned that these multiple daily lab draws were excessive, expensive, and uncomfortable for …