Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Editor biographies
- List of contributors
- Preface
- Introduction
- Part I Medical management
- 1 Anesthesia management of the surgical patient
- 2 Nutrition
- 3 Preoperative testing
- 4 Chronic medications around the time of surgery
- 5 Ethical considerations in the surgical patient
- 6 Cardiovascular disease
- 7 Postoperative chest pain and shortness of breath
- 8 Perioperative management of hypertension
- 9 Perioperative pulmonary risk evaluation and management for non-cardiothoracic surgery
- 10 Acute lung injury (ALI) and the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)
- 11 Postoperative pulmonary complications
- 12 Peptic ulcer disease
- 13 Liver disease
- 14 Inflammatory bowel disease
- 15 Postoperative gastrointestinal complications
- 16 Disorders of red cells
- 17 Assessment of bleeding risk in the patient with no history of hemostatic problems
- 18 Surgical issues affecting patients with hemotologic malignancies
- 19 Prophylaxis for deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism in surgery
- 20 Blood transfusion/preoperative considerations and complications
- 21 Prevention of surgical site infections
- 22 Medical care of the HIV-infected surgical patient
- 23 Fever and infection in the postoperative setting
- 24 Surgery in the patient with renal disease
- 25 Postoperative electrolyte disorders
- 26 Diabetes mellitus
- 27 Disorders of the thyroid
- 28 Disorders of the adrenal cortex
- 29 Disorders of calcium metabolism
- 30 Pheochromocytoma
- 31 Rheumatologic diseases
- 32 Cerebrovascular disease
- 33 Management of the surgical patient with dementia
- 34 Neuromuscular disorders
- 35 Perioperative management of patients with Parkinson's disease
- 36 Delirium in the surgical patient
- 37 Surgery in the elderly
- 38 Obesity
- 39 Depression
- 40 Substance abuse
- 41 Care of the peripartum patient
- Part II Surgical procedures and their complications
- Index
- References
25 - Postoperative electrolyte disorders
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 January 2010
Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Editor biographies
- List of contributors
- Preface
- Introduction
- Part I Medical management
- 1 Anesthesia management of the surgical patient
- 2 Nutrition
- 3 Preoperative testing
- 4 Chronic medications around the time of surgery
- 5 Ethical considerations in the surgical patient
- 6 Cardiovascular disease
- 7 Postoperative chest pain and shortness of breath
- 8 Perioperative management of hypertension
- 9 Perioperative pulmonary risk evaluation and management for non-cardiothoracic surgery
- 10 Acute lung injury (ALI) and the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)
- 11 Postoperative pulmonary complications
- 12 Peptic ulcer disease
- 13 Liver disease
- 14 Inflammatory bowel disease
- 15 Postoperative gastrointestinal complications
- 16 Disorders of red cells
- 17 Assessment of bleeding risk in the patient with no history of hemostatic problems
- 18 Surgical issues affecting patients with hemotologic malignancies
- 19 Prophylaxis for deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism in surgery
- 20 Blood transfusion/preoperative considerations and complications
- 21 Prevention of surgical site infections
- 22 Medical care of the HIV-infected surgical patient
- 23 Fever and infection in the postoperative setting
- 24 Surgery in the patient with renal disease
- 25 Postoperative electrolyte disorders
- 26 Diabetes mellitus
- 27 Disorders of the thyroid
- 28 Disorders of the adrenal cortex
- 29 Disorders of calcium metabolism
- 30 Pheochromocytoma
- 31 Rheumatologic diseases
- 32 Cerebrovascular disease
- 33 Management of the surgical patient with dementia
- 34 Neuromuscular disorders
- 35 Perioperative management of patients with Parkinson's disease
- 36 Delirium in the surgical patient
- 37 Surgery in the elderly
- 38 Obesity
- 39 Depression
- 40 Substance abuse
- 41 Care of the peripartum patient
- Part II Surgical procedures and their complications
- Index
- References
Summary
A variety of electrolyte disorders are common postoperatively. These result from fluid losses, intravenous fluid administration, and intrinsic regulatory mechanisms that come into play at this time. During surgery, large volumes of isotonic fluids as well as blood products may be given to compensate for the blood loss and third spacing that occurs with the surgical procedure. In the postoperative period patients must remain fasting until bowel function has returned. Frequently, nasogastric, chest, or biliary tubes are present and drain fluids and maintenance intravenous fluids are continued. Parenteral nutrition often complicates fluid balance. There may be shifts in acid–base status such as metabolic acidosis from lactic acidosis secondary to tissue ischemia, or respiratory alkalosis from hyperventilation as a result of pain or mechanical ventilation. Anesthetics, diuretics, steroids, insulin, cardiac medications, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs administered during this time period may alter plasma electrolytes and further complicate the picture.
Sodium disorders
Abnormalities of serum sodium are generally disorders of water balance. Hyponatremia occurs when there is too much free water, which may be retained appropriately or inappropriately. Hypernatremia occurs in patients who have an impaired thirst mechanism or have limited access to water and are not repleted appropriately. Of the two, hyponatremia is generally more common as a postoperative problem.
Hyponatremia
In order to understand sodium and water disorders one must understand the relationship between plasma sodium concentration and serum osmolality.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Medical Management of the Surgical PatientA Textbook of Perioperative Medicine, pp. 353 - 360Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2006
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