Hypernatremia

Etiology / Pathophysiology

• Water loss or sodium gain from dehydration, DI, fever, diarrhea, or excess sodium.
• High sodium pulls water out of brain cells causing neurologic irritability and dehydration signs.

Medications

No specific medication class was seeded for this card.

Nursing actions

• Assess thirst, dry mucosa, restlessness, confusion, and volume status.
• Replace free water carefully as ordered.
• Monitor sodium correction pace and safety precautions.

Complications

• Seizures
• Intracranial bleeding risk with rapid shifts
• Shock

NCLEX cues

• Very thirsty, dry, neurologic changes.
• DI can cause high sodium.

Memory hooks

• High sodium: brain shrinks.

Labs / Diagnostics

• Trend assessment findings and ordered diagnostics; verify exact values with school source material.

Review notes

• Session-derived study seed. Verify against school materials, ATI/NCLEX review sources, current orders, and facility policy before relying on details.