Electrolyte Management in Critical Care · NCLEX Exam

What should be the main goal when managing hyponatremia (serum sodium 122 mEq/L) in a patient without neurologic symptoms in the ICU?

  1. Raise serum sodium rapidly by more than 10 mEq/L within 24 hours
  2. Correct sodium slowly, treat the underlying cause, and monitor
  3. Administer hypertonic saline immediately using a bolus protocol
  4. Ignore the sodium level and focus exclusively on fluid status
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Correct answer: Correct sodium slowly, treat the underlying cause, and monitor

In critically ill patients, sodium abnormalities should be corrected gradually, underlying causes addressed, and frequent monitoring done to avoid complications.

Difficulty: Medium Question 3 of 15

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