Sodium Management in Patients with Acute Neurological Injury

Hyponatremia occurs commonly in patients with acute neurologic injury. Low sodium concentrations may exacerbate the disease processes of patients with stroke, traumatic brain injury, or brain tumor. There is scant literature to guide clinicians on how to treat or prevent hyponatremia in such patients, particularly with regard to appropriate treatment thresholds, goals for therapy, and safe and effective pharmacologic interventions. The lack of definitive recommendations for this common clinical situation has led to wide variations in practice. This study aims to describe the current practice of treating or preventing hyponatremia in neurologically injured patients. This is a multi-center, retrospective medical record review of approximately 400 patients. Each center will contribute a total of 23 patients with the diagnosis of subarachnoid hemorrhage, intracerebral hemorrhage, traumatic brain injury, and/or brain tumor. Treatment strategies, clinical characteristics, and neurologic outcomes will be collected and analyzed.