Nutrition & Hydration/Persistent Vegetative State (PVS)

Nutrition & Hydration/ Persistent Vegetative State
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Cure/ Care
A person needs either cure or care when they are not physically, mentally, or socially well. The act of cure revolves around getting the proper diagnosis for the symptoms. This diagnosis is sought to promote recovery either by use of medication or medical provision. Cure also involves the prognosis of the disease, which means that the health worker assesses the possible outcome of the condition. A cure is intended to alleviate the health issue faced by the patient (Apesoa-Varano, E. et al., 2011). Examples of scenarios where cure is used include cases of mild pneumonia and meningitis. There comes a moment when the medicine used for cure does not give results, and they run out of use. The illness gets severe and cannot be healed by the resources available, and now care is provided. Care is a long-term solution to a condition that cannot be cured but managed. It is almost always linked to end-of-life care (Apesoa-Varano, E. et al., 2011). Scenarios where care applies include very late stages of cancer with multiple metastases. Care is given to improve the quality of life, while a cure is given to maintain that quality.
Basic care
Human beings live better if they have or are provided with the most basic needs. That is nutrition, hydration, shelter, and human interaction (Giovanelli, G. et al., 2011). Humans are morally obliged to these needs since life is easier and more comfortable. With comfort comes the love for one another. For example, a person incarcerated is very likely to go to depression than free people who interact with others freely. This interaction enables one to notice the needs of their colleague and work towards ensuring they can meet them.
Swallow Test
Swallowing is a learned behavior that humans acquire to keep themselves nourished and hydrated. A swallowing test is done to show what a person's throat does when they swallow. An x-ray is used to record a video on the activities of the esophagus after the introduction of a foreign object which in most cases is thickened water to form a gel. A swallow test is indicated where one has or is at risk for difficulties in swallowing (Kanna, s. et al., 2014). Health issues like stroke, decreased saliva, Parkinson's disease, muscular dystrophies, and carcinoma of the esophagus predispose a patient to dysphagia, which puts them at risk of aspiration.
Medically Assisted Nutrition/ Hydration
Medically assisted nutrition or hydration is done as an emergency or for long-term effects. This means that it may be provided to relieve symptoms like dehydration caused by excess diarrhea and vomiting, and fluid is needed to be replaced fast, so they receive fluid intravenously (Brody, H. et al., 2011). It is also provided to improve the quality of life, like patients in persistent vegetative states who cannot receive food or drinks orally.
Enteral nutrition is a mode of medically assisted nutrition and means using the gastrointestinal system to provide nutrition; it is used if the GI is intact or functional. It is offered by use tubes connected to various parts of the GI system. Nasojejunal tube (NJT) is a thin, soft tube put through t...