ILOs

• Outline a logical approach to the investigation of hyponatraemia
• Describe the clinical features of hyponatraemia.

• What is the physiological role of sodium?
• How do we define hyponatraemia, and what are the causes and effects?
• Here’s the protocol that biochemists follow with a hyponatraemic patient…
• So, what’s the first thing we need to do when we find a hyponatraemic patient?
• Here’s patient case number 1…
• Now, patient case number 2…
• Another example of extracellular hypertonicity…
• Once you’ve determined true hyponatraemia, then?
• Look at the next things to assess when a patient has true hyponatraemia…
• What further investigations do we need to do?
• Once volume status is established, what do we do?
• Here’s patient case number 3…
• Now, time for patient case number 4…
• Patient case 5, a 56 year old male…
• But what if Na was 120mmol/L?
• What type of diagnosis is SIADH? What are the features of it?