Table 4.

Effectiveness of isotonic saline and fluid restriction in correcting hyponatraemia in first 72 h

SNa correction after treatment	Isotonic saline (N=26)	Fluid restriction (N=10)
Mean±SD change in sNa (mmol/L)	7.3±5.0	2.8±3.2
Percentage of patients
sNa increase <2 mmol/L	7.7	30.0
sNa increase 2–3 mmol/L	7.7	50.0
sNa increase 4–8 mmol/L	50.0	10.0
sNa increase 9–12 mmol/L	19.2	10.0
sNa increase >12 mmol/L	15.4	0

Over-rapid correction of hyponatraemia (sNa increase of >12 mmol/L/day) was recorded in 3/76 (3.9%) therapeutic episodes. All three patients, two treated with isotonic saline and one with hypertonic saline, had an sNa increase of 13 mmol/L within 24 h without any adverse neurological sequelae.