Webinar

Hospital-Acquired Acute Hyponatremia: Prevention is Key

Wednesday, October 27, 2010 at 1 pm EST

ISMP Canada is very pleased to have Dr. Michael L. Moritz, a pediatric nephrologist, renowned expert and researcher, speak about preventing hospital–acquired hyponatremia in children.

This one hour webinar will focus on an overview of information from the literature, including review of incidents involving harm and death of pediatric patients from hospital–acquired hyponatremia. Dr. Moritz will provide valuable information and insights into how practitioners can lessen the possibility that patients they care for will be harmed by hospital–acquired hyponatremia.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this session, participants will be aware of:

• the literature related to hospital–acquired hyponatremia in children including current theories and research;
• risk factors for the development of hospital–acquired hyponatremia in children;
• the signs and symptoms of hyponatremia encephalopathy;
• strategies to prevent hospital–acquired hyponatremia in children.
  

Audience:	Nurses, physicians, pharmacists providing care to pediatric patients; clinical directors, quality/risk managers and others who provide oversight of pediatric patient care.
Date:	Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Time:	10:00 am - 11:00 am PT 11:00 am - 12:00 am MT 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm CT 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm ET 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm AT 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm NT
Duration:	1 hour
Cost:	$95.00 (plus applicable taxes) per telephone connection For registration information, please select the ‘Registration’ tab.
Presenter:	Michael L. Moritz, MD Associate Professor of Pediatrics Clinical Director, Division of Nephrology Medical Director, Pediatric Dialysis Department of Pediatrics Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Contact Us:	webinars@ismp-canada.org

Speaker

Background

Reports of pediatric deaths due to acute hyponatremia have been reported in Canada and internationally. For example, two pediatric deaths due to acute hyponatremia associated with intravenous (IV) administration of hypotonic solutions, one in a post–surgical setting and the other in a medical setting, were voluntarily reported to ISMP Canada and shared in a 2009 Safety Bulletin. ISMP (US) also shared two different reports of pediatric deaths and some of the underlying causes in a 2009 newsletter.

Hospital–acquired hyponatremia is an important issue that merits attention. Hospitalized children have multiple risk factors that can predispose them to the retention of free water and development of acute hyponatremia. Acute hyponatremia is defined as a decline in serum sodium within a 48–hour period to less than 130 mmol/L. This abrupt change can lead to cerebral edema as a result of electrolyte–free water moving into brain cells. Acute hyponatremia can be fatal for both children and adults; however, children are more vulnerable to the effects of fluid and electrolyte imbalance. The early signs of acute hyponatremia and rising intracranial pressure are often nonspecific and include nausea, vomiting, headache, and decreasing level of consciousness. A rapid decline in serum levels of sodium leading to symptoms of increased intracranial pressure is a medical emergency, as further increases in brain–cell swelling can cause seizures, respiratory depression, coma, irreversible brain damage, or brain herniation and death.

Related Links:

ISMP Canada Safety Bulletin:

• Hospital–Acquired Acute Hyponatremia: Two Reports of Pediatric Deaths

• Plain D5W or hypotonic saline solutions post–op could result in acute hyponatremia and death in healthy children

Contact Information