Year: 2016 | Month: March | Volume 3 | Issue 1
Incidence of Hyponatremia in Critically Ill Patients in Intensive Care Unit: Observational Study
Shivaji Patil
Anannya Mukherji
Akshaya Shetty
DOI:10.5958/2394-4196.2016.00004.2
Abstract:
Background: Hyponatremia is defined as common electrolyte disturbance or decline blood sodium concentration in critically ill patients. Hyponatremia often results in intensive care unit (ICU) admissions and are also associated with significant mortality and morbidity. The study was undertaken to assess the follows points: (1) To assess the incidence of hyponatremia in patients in ICU. (2) To describe the etiological factors responsible for hyponatremia. (3) To describe clinical manifestations of hyponatremia. (4) To describe treatment modalities for hyponatremia in ICU patients. Materials and Methods: (1) Study design - Cross-sectional. (2) Study period - 01/09/2014 to 01/05/2015 data on patients admitted to the hospital in the ICU with hyponatremia were collected. (3) Inclusion criteria - Patients admitted to the ICU with serum sodium levels ≤130 mEq/L, age of patients >18 years. (4) Exclusion criteria - Patients, who did not give consent, age of the patients <18 years, patients admitted to the ICU with serum sodium levels >130 mEq/L, and post-operative patients. (5) Sample size: 100 cases. (6) Sampling type: Purposive. Results: A total of 100 hyponatremic and 50 non-hyponatremia critically ill admitted patients in ICU were observed and evaluated out of which 41 (hyponatremic) [Table 2] were males and 59 were females in the study. We have included the non-hyponatremia patients to evaluate with hyponatremia patients. In our study, we observed that in hyponatremic patients, 66% patients had neurological manifestations. These include seizures, reduced consciousness level, confusion, unsteadiness, and falls. Conclusion: Hyponatremic patients should be diagnosed early in ICU, and the treatment should be start accordingly. It is frequent finding in critically ill patients admitted to ICU. Most etiological factors involved in it are severe sepsis, renal failure, liver cirrhosis, trauma, hypothyroidism, and hypocortisolism. A patient with hyponatremia needs longer duration stay in ICU with higher mortality rate and longer ventilation days.
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