Hyponatraemia in the Surgical Patients

Abstract

Hyponatremia occurs when the hypothalamic-kidney feedback loop is overwhelmed by increased fluid intake, the feedback loop malfunctions such that ADH is always "turned on", the receptors in the kidney are always "open" regardless of there being no signal from ADH to be open; or there is an increased ADH even though there is no normal stimulus (elevated serum sodium) for ADH to be increased. Sodium is the primary positively charged ion outside of the cell and cannot cross from the interstitial space into the cell. This is because charged sodium ions attract around them up to 25 water molecules, thereby creating a large polar structure too large to pass through the cell membrane: "channels" or "pumps" are required. This study is intended to help the physicians and also clinical practitioners to identify and also help the patients so as to stall the always fatal outcome if treatment is delayed.