Evaluation of Sodium Status in Septic and Septic Shock Patients and Its Relation to Prognosis and Hospital Stay

Sepsis and septic shock are among the most prevalent causes of intensive care unit (ICU) admissions. They account for around 10-50% of the mortality rate, which remains high despite extensive research of the Surviving Sepsis Campaign, and national core measures Sepsis is defined as "Organ dysfunction that threatens the patient's life caused by the impaired host response to infection" septic shock is defined as hypotension and serum lactate level greater than two mmol/L, as well as not responding to adequate fluid resuscitation requiring the use of vasopressors to maintain the mean blood pressure of 65 mm Hg or higher . Sepsis and septic shock are considered medical emergencies .

Acute hypernatremia is considered one of the features of homeostasis disturbances, which is common in septic patients with an incidence reaching up to 47% Finding biomarkers which predict the outcome of sepsis is challenging . Since electrolyte imbalance, specifically hypernatremia, is one of the commonest problems associated with sepsis and septic shock patients [20, 21]. It is, therefore, of current interest to study the evolution of sepsis in patients who have been shown to have hypernatremia.

Recent evidence shows that serum sodium levels may not be completely explained by fluid balance or sodium intake . Some studies suggest that sodium is intimately tied to the immune system, thus raising the question of whether inflammatory states such as sepsis can play a role in the development of hypernatremia