Continuous Veno-Venous Hemofiltration in the Treatment of Acute Severe Hyponatremia: A Report of 11 Cases

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the treatment effect of continuous veno-venous hemofiltration (CVVH) in patients with acute severe hyponatremia. METHODS: Eleven patients with severe acute hyponatremia, including 6 males and 5 females, aged 25-61 years (mean age 48.36), were treated with CVVH. Hyponatremia occurred 38-48 hours prior to the initiation of CVVH. RESULTS: All patients tolerated CVVH well, with an average treatment duration of 57.19 (45.6-86) hours. During CVVH, the serum sodium concentration increased significantly from 100.9+/-3.99 mmol/L at initiation of CVVH to 140.3+/-1.6 mmol/L after 48 hours of treatment (P<0.01). The serum osmolarity increased concurrently, from 216.7+/-7.4 mOsm/kgH2O to 295.0+/-4.2 mOsm/kgH2O (P<0.01). The Glasgow scores and APACHE II scores in these patients improved significantly during treatment. CONCLUSIONS: CVVH is a safe and effective option for the treatment of patients with severe acute hyponatremia due to its slow and continuous nature.