Sign-in to Ask A Doctor - 24x7
OR
Sign in with GoogleGet your health question answered instantly from our pool of 18000+ doctors from over 80 specialties
Further Treatment For Hyponatremia And Progressive Heart Failure?
My mother, 90 years old las November is il with hyponatremia, but has also been a progressive heart falure patient for many years. The diuretics she took for many years caused this - it seems. she has been treated with 0.9% and 3% NaCl solution through IV to no avail. Her Na level is at 107 - far below the minum of 137 for normal people. She has all the symptoms except for coma/seizure. both Na and Cl are low. We are now treating her with ORS 3 packets per litre per day and controlled fluid intake (total of 1.5 litres/day) - for the last week. We have not gone back to the hospital yet to check her Na levels. Is there anything more we can do? thank you.
Tue, 4 Aug 2015
Thank you for your question.
From your brief history, your mother is suffering from heart failure and chronic hyponatremia. Chronic hyponatremia in such a situation is not only difficult to treat but also a tricky situation even in a hospital setting. is she disoriented? what are the medicines she is on right now? in your mothers clinical state, her body retains both sodium and water but because it retains more water than sodium it causes a relative hyponatremia. hence giving your mother more salt in diet or as concentrated solution of ors may actually be counterproductive for her heart failure.
one thing you can try is restricting her fluid intake to less than a litre per day or even to 750ml per day.
her serum potassium levels may also need to be checked.
drugs are now available for to increase the sodium level in heart failure but they should be used only after consulting her doctor.
but all these measures only give you very modest results and i would advise you to take her to a hospital for ideal treatment. I hope this helps you.
From your brief history, your mother is suffering from heart failure and chronic hyponatremia. Chronic hyponatremia in such a situation is not only difficult to treat but also a tricky situation even in a hospital setting. is she disoriented? what are the medicines she is on right now? in your mothers clinical state, her body retains both sodium and water but because it retains more water than sodium it causes a relative hyponatremia. hence giving your mother more salt in diet or as concentrated solution of ors may actually be counterproductive for her heart failure.
one thing you can try is restricting her fluid intake to less than a litre per day or even to 750ml per day.
her serum potassium levels may also need to be checked.
drugs are now available for to increase the sodium level in heart failure but they should be used only after consulting her doctor.
but all these measures only give you very modest results and i would advise you to take her to a hospital for ideal treatment. I hope this helps you.
I find this answer helpful
Disclaimer: These answers are for your information only and not intended to replace your relationship with your treating physician.
This is a short, free answer.
For a more detailed, immediate answer, try our premium service
[Sample answer]
Related questions you may be interested in
Recent questions on Hypernatremia
Loading Online Doctors....