[Sodium hemostasis in hypovolemic shock in the newborn]

Twenty newborns with hypovolemic shock due to gastroenteritis, were treated with a solution of lactate Ringer. The clinical course, complications and the evolution of the seric levels of sodium were analyzed. The average sodium administered was 17.8 mEq./kg./d., higher than the recommended dose for that age; nevertheless, after 24 hours of treatment, the seric levels in 95 per cent of the patients showed figures within normal range. The conclusion is that the ability of the kidney to regulate sodium excretion is present and adequate since the first days of life.