Hyponatremia

Structured condition card with NCLEX priority cues and nursing action focus.

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Renal / Urinary / Electrolyteshigh priorityneeds review

Hyponatremia

Practice

Etiology / Pathophysiology

  • Water excess, sodium loss, SIADH, diuretics, GI losses, or adrenal issues.
  • Low serum sodium shifts water into brain cells and causes neurologic symptoms.

Medications

No specific medication class was seeded for this card.

Nursing actions

  • Assess mental status, headache, nausea, weakness, and seizure risk.
  • Institute seizure precautions for severe symptoms.
  • Correct carefully as ordered and monitor sodium trends.

Complications

  • Seizures
  • Cerebral edema
  • Falls

NCLEX cues

  • Confusion with low sodium.
  • Sodium swells or shrinks the brain.

Memory hooks

  • Low sodium: brain swells.

Labs / Diagnostics

  • Sodium below normal range
  • Serum osmolality
  • Urine studies when ordered

Review notes

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

Drive Pack cross references

HyponatremiaCondition