(1) Grady Memorial Hospital, Atlanta, United States
(2) Emory Midtown, Atlanta, United States
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Introduction
Dysnatremias are common in neurocritically ill patients and optimizing management strategies is important for patient outcomes. Well-defined diagnostic criteria and standardized treatment approaches do not exist for these conditions, posing a challenge to providers. The aim of this paper is to discuss pharmacologic treatment options for the most common sodium disorders seen in critically ill neurologic patients: syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone, cerebral salt wasting, and central diabetes insipidus.
Conclusion
Proper treatment of dysnatremias necessitates an accurate diagnosis. In addition, prudent selection of therapeutic strategies and diligent monitoring are important steps to preventing potentially fatal consequences as a result of contrasting treatment strategies for the various types of sodium disorders. A keen understanding of the pharmacotherapy used to treat these disorders is critical to the management of these patients.