Hello!
Never correct sodium too quickly.
If you correct hypernatremia too fast, it'll result in cerebral edema. Why?
When hypernatremia is corrected too rapidly, cerebral edema results because the relatively more hypertonic ICF accumulates water.
If you correct hyponatremia too fast, it'll result in central pontine myelinolysis (CPM) aka osmotic demyelination syndrome. Why?
Chronic hyponatremia is associated with the loss of osmotically active organic osmolytes (such as myoinositol, glutamate, and glutamine) from astrocytes, which provide protection against brain cell swelling.
However, organic osmolytes cannot be as quickly replaced when the brain volume begins to shrink in response to correction of the hyponatremia. As a result, brain volume can fall from a value that is initially somewhat above normal to one below normal with rapid correction of hyponatremia.
The mechanism by which a rapid fall in brain volume results in demyelination has not been established.
How do I remember this?
Here's another mnemonic:
From low to high, your pons will die (CPM)
From high to low, your brain will blow (Cerebral edema, herniation)
That's all!
-IkaN
Never correct sodium too quickly.
If you correct hypernatremia too fast, it'll result in cerebral edema. Why?
When hypernatremia is corrected too rapidly, cerebral edema results because the relatively more hypertonic ICF accumulates water.
If you correct hyponatremia too fast, it'll result in central pontine myelinolysis (CPM) aka osmotic demyelination syndrome. Why?
Chronic hyponatremia is associated with the loss of osmotically active organic osmolytes (such as myoinositol, glutamate, and glutamine) from astrocytes, which provide protection against brain cell swelling.
However, organic osmolytes cannot be as quickly replaced when the brain volume begins to shrink in response to correction of the hyponatremia. As a result, brain volume can fall from a value that is initially somewhat above normal to one below normal with rapid correction of hyponatremia.
The mechanism by which a rapid fall in brain volume results in demyelination has not been established.
How do I remember this?
 |
| Central pontine myelinolysis* mnemonic |
From low to high, your pons will die (CPM)
From high to low, your brain will blow (Cerebral edema, herniation)
That's all!
-IkaN
Loved this mnemonic. Keep it up guys. You are helping a lot of students.
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