 | Related Articles |
Management of severe in-patient hyponatraemia: an audit in two teaching hospitals in Yorkshire, UK.
Scand J Clin Lab Invest. 2015 Jan;75(1):1-6
Authors: Narayanan D, Mbagaya W, Aye M, Kilpatrick ES, Barth JH
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Hyponatraemia, the commonest electrolyte abnormality amongst in-patients, is associated with increased mortality. Until recently, there has been a lack of international consensus management of patients with severe hyponatraemia.
AIM: We performed a retrospective study in two teaching hospitals in Yorkshire, UK, to evaluate the management of patients with severe hyponatraemia (serum Na ≤ 110 mmol/L) and to assess the frequency of complications observed in this group, in particular central pontine myelinolysis (CPM) and death.
METHODS: Retrospective data collection was performed on all of patients admitted with severe hyponatraemia in a calendar year in two teaching hospitals in Yorkshire. A detailed case note evaluation was conducted to determine the patient clinical characteristics, aetiology, investigations performed, treatment, complications and outcome of patients.
RESULTS: We identified 39 patients in total at both sites over a calendar year. There was a notable female predominance (n = 27), with the median (range) age being 65 (45-92) years and median sodium concentration 107 (94-110) mmol/L. Hyponatraemia was classified as acute (onset < 48 h) in six patients, chronic (onset > 48 h) in 20 patients and of unknown duration in 13 patients. Iatrogenic hyponatraemia secondary to drugs, especially thiazides was the most commonly observed aetiology. The mortality rate was 48.7% (n = 19) at the end of one year after admission episode and CPM was seen in 7.6% (n = 3) of patients.
CONCLUSIONS: Severe hyponatraemia is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Drug-induced hyponatraemia was the most common aetiology observed in our group of patients.
PMID: 25342242 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]