How is the target weight calculated for a patient using the following pre-treatment information: EDW: 75.5 kg, Pre-treatment weight: 77.0 kg, Prime: 500 mL?

In this scenario, the target weight for a patient is determined by using the patient's pre-treatment weight, their estimated dry weight (EDW), and the volume of fluid to be considered in treatment.

The estimated dry weight (EDW) represents the patient's target weight without any excess fluid. The pre-treatment weight shows the weight of the patient before any fluid removal. The difference between the pre-treatment weight and the EDW helps to determine how much fluid needs to be removed in treatment to reach the desired target weight.

To find the amount of excess fluid that needs to be addressed, first, subtract the EDW from the pre-treatment weight, resulting in a difference of 1.5 kg. If the prime volume (500 mL) of fluid therapy is being considered, it is common to add this volume split equivalently towards body weight since 1 kg is roughly equal to 1 L of fluid. Therefore, when converting the 500 mL prime volume, it translates to an additional 0.5 kg (since 500 mL is 0.5 L).

By adding this 0.5 kg (from the prime volume) to the 1.5 kg excess calculated from the weight difference, the total comes to