IBCC Episode 68 - Hyponatremia

In this episode of The Internet Book of Critical Care Podcast, Josh and Adam delve into hyponatremia, a common electrolyte abnormality with varying degrees of severity. They discuss the importance of determining if a patient is symptomatic, the different causes of hyponatremia including pseudohyponatremia, renal failure, and rare causes related to water and solute intake imbalances. They touch on hypovolemic, euvolemic, and hypervolemic hyponatremia, emphasizing the significance of lab panels, urine osmolality, and urine sodium levels in diagnosis. They explore risk stratification, focusing on patients at risk for seizures, herniation, and overcorrection, and provide detailed treatment strategies, including the use of hypertonic fluids, DDAVP clamps, oral urea, and considerations for heart failure, cirrhosis, and hypokalemia, while cautioning against the use of Vaptans.