Assessment
Questions to ponder in a mitochondrial patient who is getting sick
- Know your patient well. Each individual responds to stress in his/her own way.
- Know the history of the individual’s illness presentation and how he has responded to illness in the past:
- What is a significant fever for him?
- Does he decompensate quickly?
- Does he have a difficult time returning to baseline?
- Does he respond to fever medications?
- Does he stop eating and/or drinking when sick?
- Does he show behavioral or cognitive changes?
- Does he have difficulty breathing (perhaps due to apnea, respiratory muscle weakness?)?
- Do his symptoms worsen (e.g., GI symptoms)?
- What other autonomic symptoms worsen with infection?
- Does he have show abnormalities in blood and urine tests?
- Assess hydration. Know his baseline hydration status.
- Is the patient at increased risk for sepsis (e.g., has an indwelling central line or port-a-cath)?




