STUDY OF HYPONATREMIA IN CRITICALLY ILL CHILDREN ADMITTED TO PAEDIATRIC INTENSIVE CARE UNIT.

Malikireddy Hima Bindu* and Beeregowda Y. C. 

ABSTRACT

Background: Electrolyte abnormalities are common in children admitted to intensive care unit. They have a significant contribution to the morbidity and mortality, irrespective of the primary problem. Hyponatremia is the most commonly encountered electrolyte disturbance in hospitalized pediatric patients with an incidence ranging from 15 to 30% 1-3. Objectives: To find the incidence of hyponatremia in critically ill children admitted in pediatric intensive care unit.and to evaluate the effect of hyponatremia on morbidity and mortality. Material and methods: A total of 152 patients aged 1 month to 14 years old admitted in the paediatric intensive care unit in R L Jalappa hospital, patients from January 2015 to december 2015 were enrolled.Sodium levels at the time of admission was estimated. Results: A total of 152 acutely ill children admitted in PICU were taken up for this study. Incidence of hyponatremia was 33.5% in our study. Out of 51 cases of hyponatremia , 25.49 % had moderate hyponatremia and 13.73% had severe hyponatremia. The incidence of hyponatremia in bronchopneumonia was 41.3% followed by acute encephalitis 24%. The duration of hospital stay (days) was longer in severe hyponatremic cases than moderate hyponatremic cases. Limitations: Small sample size and primary cause for hyponatremia not evaluated. Conclusions: One third of patients had hyponatremia at admission to PICU. and further administration of hypoosmotic fluids is more likely to increase the proportion of children who will have hyponatremia.

Keywords: Hyponatremia,Serum sodium.