How should a nurse manage a patient’s diet while on cyclophosphamide?

Cyclophosphamide is a chemotherapy agent that can have various side effects, including potential kidney toxicity and bladder irritation. One of the key management strategies while a patient is receiving cyclophosphamide is to ensure adequate hydration through increased fluid intake. This helps dilute the drug in the bladder and decrease the risk of cystitis, which is a common complication associated with cyclophosphamide use.

By encouraging the patient to drink more fluids, the nurse can help flush out the kidneys and urinary tract, minimizing the toxic effects that can occur from the metabolite acrolein, which contributes to bladder irritation. Adequate hydration is crucial not only for this protective effect but also for maintaining overall kidney function during treatment.

The other dietary modifications, while they may have their own relevance in certain clinical contexts, do not directly address the primary concerns associated with cyclophosphamide therapy. For instance, increasing protein intake might be important for overall nutritional health but does not specifically alleviate cyclophosphamide-related risks. Decreasing sodium might be necessary for some patients with hypertension or heart failure but is not a general requirement during cyclophosphamide treatment. Increasing potassium is usually not appropriate unless a patient is specifically potassium-deficient, as cyclophosphamide itself does not typically