Discussion: Toddler Chelation Therapy N 900
Discussion: Toddler Chelation Therapy N 900
10. A hospice nurse is visiting a parent on the 1-year anniversary of the death of his child from leukemia. Which of the following reactions by the parent would indicate to the nure the need for bereavement counseling referral?
-The parent does not visit his child’s grave
-The parent frequently looks through family photos
-The parent has not returned to work
-The parent seeks reassurance that he did everything possible
11. A nurse is admitting a 4-month-old infant who has heart failure to the cardiac unit. Which of the following findings is the highest priority? (Click on the “Exhibit” button below for additional client information. There are three tabs that contain separate categories of data.)
-Three episodes of vomiting
-Six wet diapers/24 hr
-Weight 6.36 kg (14 lb)
-Respiratory rate 30/min
12. A nurse is caring for a school-aged-child who is admitted with a poorly controlled seizure disorder. Which of the following should the nurse include in the plan of care?
-Place a padded tongue blade at the child’s bedside
-Maintain a well-lit room
-Keep the head of the bed flat
-Have oxygen available
13. A nurse is planning care for a child who has glomerulonephritis and is edematous. Which of the following activities should be part of the plan of care?
-Monitor weekly weight
-Restrict sodium intake
-Administer IV bolus of 0/9% sodium chloride
-Maintain bed rest
14. A charge nurse is preparing a room assignment for a school-age child. Which of the following is the most important consideration when planning a room assignment?
-Length of stay
-Disease process
-Treatment schedule
-Self-care ability
Does chelation therapy really work?
Chelation is a very effective way to treat heavy-metal poisoning. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved prescription chelation therapy for the treatment of lead poisoning. Injected EDTA binds with the harmful metal and both are then eliminated from the body through the kidneys.
One of the unfortunate byproducts of the media hype relating autism to vaccines is renewed interest in chelation as a treatment for autism. Chelation refers to a medical procedure that uses chemicals to remove heavy metals from the bodies of children with autism. The agents most commonly used are Calcium Disodium ethylenediamine-tetraacetic acid (Ca-EDTA), Dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) and 2-3-dimercaptopropane-1-sulfonate (DMPS). These man-made molecules all have a high affinity to bond metals and remove them from the body via urine when the drug itself is excreted. In addition to these more traditional chelation agents, I have found Internet references to the use of the herb cilantro and certain types of clay for chelation.
The administration of metal-binding molecules to treat autism is based on speculation that mercury poisoning (via administration through immunization, mercury-containing dental fillings or environmental exposure) causes autism. Therefore, the rationale is that removing the toxic metal will cure the autism or lead to an amelioration in the symptoms of autism.
It is important to note that chelation has some legitimate uses. In particular, it is indicated for removing lead from children with severe lead poisoning, and many papers in the medical literature confirm its efficacy for this purpose. Of note, however, chelation is also an unproven, but widely-prescribed treatment for atherosclerosis. There are also industrial uses for these chemicals.
Determining whether or not chelation is an appropriate treatment for autism is predicated on chelation proponents obtaining and publishing high-quality scientific evidence to support their assertions. Medical scientific evidence is published in legitimate peer-reviewed scientific publications. Scientists submit publications with a hypothesis to test and present their evidence to prove or disprove it. Editors have experts in the field review papers and decide if they are appropriate for publication. This process can lead to delays in making new scientific information available to the public or treating physicians, but there are many safeguards in this process
