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Hyponatraemia

Isotonic fluids prevent hospital-acquired hyponatraemia

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Hypotonic fluid administration has been the standard of care for maintenance fluid therapy in acutely ill children, but this approach is associated with hospital-acquired hyponatraemia and hyponatraemic encephalopathy. New findings demonstrate that isotonic maintenance fluids are safe and effective in preventing hospital-acquired hyponatraemia in children, whereas a 0.45% NaCl solution is not.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Paediatrics, Division of Nephrology, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, 4401 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, 15224, PA, USA

    Michael L. Moritz

  2. Renal Consultants of Houston, 2412 Westgate Street, Houston, 77019, TX, USA

    Juan C. Ayus

Authors
  1. Michael L. Moritz
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  2. Juan C. Ayus
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Correspondence to Michael L. Moritz.

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Competing interests

M.L.M and J.C.A have received consulting fees from Otsuka Pharmaceuticals.

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Moritz, M., Ayus, J. Isotonic fluids prevent hospital-acquired hyponatraemia. Nat Rev Nephrol 11, 202–203 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneph.2014.253

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