Neurologic Intensive Care Unit Electrolyte Management

Craig Hutto; Mindy French

doi:10.1016/j.cnur.2017.01.009

Neurologic Intensive Care Unit Electrolyte Management

Nurs Clin North Am. 2017 Jun;52(2):321-329. doi: 10.1016/j.cnur.2017.01.009. Epub 2017 Apr 7.

Authors

Craig Hutto¹, Mindy French²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Oregon Health and Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Road, Portland, OR 97239, USA. Electronic address: hutto@ohsu.edu.
² Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Oregon Health and Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Road, Portland, OR 97239, USA. Electronic address: frencmi@ohsu.edu.

PMID: 28478880
DOI: 10.1016/j.cnur.2017.01.009

Abstract

Dysnatremia is a common finding in the intensive care unit (ICU) and may be a predictor for mortality and poor clinical outcomes. Depending on the time of onset (ie, on admission vs later in the ICU stay), the incidence of dysnatremias in critically ill patients ranges from 6.9% to 15%, respectively. The symptoms of sodium derangement and their effect on brain physiology make early recognition and correction paramount in the neurologic ICU. Hyponatremia in brain injured patients can lead to life-threatening conditions such as seizures and may worsen cerebral edema and contribute to alterations in intracranial pressure.

Keywords: Dysnatremia; Hypernatremia; Hyponatremia; Intensive care; Neurologic surgery.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Critical Care / methods*
Humans
Hypernatremia / diagnosis*
Hypernatremia / therapy*
Hyponatremia / diagnosis*
Hyponatremia / therapy*
Water-Electrolyte Balance*