07/09/2007

Precise weighing can save lives!

Nutrition and health

For diagnostic and treatment purposes it is often crucial to obtain a clear picture of a patient's nutritional status. Once the body mass index (BMI) has been determined, further steps for a successful therapy can be initiated and the medication dose can be adjusted to underweight, overweight or normal-weight patients.

Additionally, based on the weight and BMI data, a physician can decide whether the patient neeeds a special diet to either lose or gain weight during his/her hospital stay.

- Some diseases require strict monitoring of current body weight - when fluid loss or a certain fluid level play a role, for example.
- A nephrologist always determines exact body weight before and after dialysis.
- In an intensive care unit, the fluid management of burns patients is performed according to body weight.
- For neonates with low birth weight physical development is a matter of grams.

In short: precise monitoring of the body weight saves lives in many medical contexts.
Precise scales, which deliver exact results, are therefore indispensable in every-day hospital routine, seca points out. ‘Particularly with such a ubiquitous and high-use instrument, patients, physicians and nurses need state-of-the-art technology to ensure results are 100% reliable. Additional features, such as user-friendliness and functionality – which all seca instruments offer – weigh heavily in favour of patient safety.’