RESUMO
Hypernatraemia is a common finding among patients presenting to hospital. The aim of this observational study was to discover what types of patients presented with hypernatraemia and whether they were appropriately managed. The management of hypernatraemia was audited against common standards of care. Hypernatraemia at presentation carries a poor prognosis and in this study management of hypernatraemia was found to be done poorly, possibly because for many patients aggressive management was deemed inappropriate. The majority of patients who present with hypernatraemia are older, dependent and/or suffer from cognitive impairment. Many of these patients do not have a reversible cause for their hypernatraemia. These patients need to be recognised, ideally in the community, so that inappropriate admission can be avoided, but also on presentation to hospital so that appropriate care, which may be end-of-life care, can be provided.
Assuntos
Tomada de Decisões , Hipernatremia/diagnóstico , Hipernatremia/terapia , Assistência Terminal , Adulto , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Demência/sangue , Feminino , Humanos , Hipernatremia/psicologia , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Guias de Prática Clínica como Assunto , Prognóstico , Estudos RetrospectivosRESUMO
A 46-year old lady presented to the AMU with chest pain and shortness of breath. She weighed 345 kg. She was normally mobile up to 10 metres but had become bedbound over the past week with increasing shortness of breath.
