Prevalence and Clinical Significance of Hyponatremia in Pediatric Intensive Care

A retrospective chart review was conducted to estimate the prevalence and severity level of hyponatremia on admission at the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) in a Saudi tertiary hospital. Hyponatremia was highly prevalent (67.2%) and severe hyponatremia was frequent among patients with Pediatric Risk of Mortality score > 10%. Severe hyponatremia was also associated with increased length of stay ( p  = 0.04) and a trend of increased mortality ( p  = 0.054). However, disease severity was not an independent risk factor of mortality in PICU, but might confound other risk factors that render the children requiring prolonged hospital stay, mechanical ventilation, and increased health costs.