Nursing Care Plan for Hepatoma

Nursing Care Plan for Hepatoma

NCP for Hepatoma

Hepatoma
A hepatoma is a cancer that starts in the liver. It is the most common type of cancer originating in the liver.
Symptoms

The first signs of the disease may include :

• Abdominal pain
• Weight loss
• Large mass that can be felt in the upper right section of the abdomen

People who have had cirrhosis for a long time may also experience :

• Sudden feeling of illness
• Fever
• Sudden abdominal pain and shock (very low blood pressure) caused by a rupture or bleeding of the tumor

Causes and Risk Factors
Risk factors for hepatoma include :

• Long-standing cases of cirrhosis (severe scarring of the liver)
• Chronic infection with hepatitis B
• Chronic infection with hepatitis C
• Certain food fungi

Diagnosis
At first, symptoms may not offer clues that the disease is present. When the person has had cirrhosis for a long time and a tumor can be felt in the abdomen, the doctor will suspect hepatoma.
Other ways to detect the disease include :

• Ultrasound
• Computed tomography (CT) scans
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)scans
• Liver biopsy. For this, a small sample of tissue is taken for examination under a microscope.

Treatment
The survival rate for people with hepatoma is poor. This is because the tumor is usually discovered at a later stage.
Treatment options include :

• Surgery, if the tumor is small
• Chemotherapy. This can slow the growth of the tumor but not cure the cancer.

Source : www.cedars-sinai.edu

Nursing Care Plan for Hepatoma

Nursing Assessment
On physical examination can be obtained :

• Ascites
• Jaundice
• Hypoalbuminemia
• Splenomegaly, spider nevi, palmar eritoma, edema.

In general, nursing assessment in patients with hepatoma, including :

• Metabolic disorders
• Bleeding
• Ascites
• Edema
• Hipoproteinemia
• Jaundice / icterus
• Endocrine Complications
• Activities were disrupted by treatment.

Nursing Diagnosis for Hepatoma
Based on the above assessment, the nursing diagnoses that often arises is :

1. Malnutrition: Weight loss related to anorexia, nausea, impaired absorption, metabolism of vitamins.
2. Ineffectiveness of breathing related to the existence of ascites and emphasis diapragma.
3. Pain related to abdominal wall tension
4. Lack of fluids and electrolytes related to excessive ascites, bleeding, and edema
5. The risk of infection related to a deficiency of white blood cells
6. The risk of skin integrity problems related to pruritus, edema, and ascites
7. Sexual dysfunction related to hormonal dysfunction and decreased libido
8. Anxiety related to hospitalization
9. Lack of knowledge about the disease process and its causes
10. Social isolation related to the risk of spreading infection.

Health Benefits of Organic Food

The health benefits of organic food are more perceived than real. However, the public opinion that organic food is healthier than conventional food is quite strong and is the sole reason for about 30% growth in the organic food industry since the past 5-6 years.
Organic Facts is a strong proponent of organic food; however, the website believes in putting across the facts right to its visitors.


There is little scientific evidence to prove that organic food is better in quality than conventional food. Scientific research conducted so far on various organic food items have not been able to give strong signals about the superiority of organic food over non organic food. As a result, even the FDA and the USDA clearly mention that non organic food is as healthy as organic food. However, there are some scientific studies that have proved organic milk and organic tomatoes to be better than the non-organic ones.
Organic Milk: Recent research conducted on organic milk has shown that it has more anti-oxidants, omega 3, CLA, and vitamins than non organic milk. According to the researchers at the Danish Institute of Agricultural Research, University of Aberdeen, and the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, organic milk is healthier than non organic milk as organic cows are pasture grazed which results in better quality milk.
Organic Tomatoes: According to a 10 year study conducted by the University of California, Davis, organic tomatoes are produced in an environment that has lower nutrient supply as nitrogen-rich chemical fertilizers are not added. This leads to excessive formation of antioxidants such as quercetin (79% higher) and kaempferol (97% higher) in organic tomatoes. As we all know, antioxidants are good for health and help in reducing heart diseases.
These studies have increased the hopes of numerous people who strongly believe that mankind should stop using chemical fertilizers and pesticides and shift to the more sustainable organic farming practices. There are many studies that prove that there is some pesticide and fertilizer contamination in non organic food, and there are others which claim that organic food is not healthy (they contain harmful bacteria and viruses) because of non usage of strong chemicals. However, none of these studies (showing chemical contamination or presence of bacteria/viruses) do not show any impact on health of individuals.
In general, organic food consumers, manufactuers and farmers strongly believe in organic food having following benefits over non organic food:

• Better health: Since organic food is not prepared using chemical fertilizers and pesticides, it does not contain any traces of these strong chemicals and might not affect the human body.
• Better taste: People strongly believe that organic food tastes better than non organic food. The prominent reason for this belief is that it is produced using organic means of production. Further organic food is often sold locally resulting in availability of fresh produce in the market.
• Environment safety: As harmful chemicals are not used in organic farming, there is minimal soil, air and water pollution; thus ensuring a safe world for future generations to live in.
• Animal welfare: Animal welfare is an important aspect of producing organic milk, organic meat, organic poultry, and organic fish. People feel happy that the animals are not confined to a miserable caged life while eating organic animal products.