Serum sodium concentration and intraventricular hemorrhage in premature infants.
Recent data suggest that early loss of brain tissue water content, ie, decreased extravascular cerebral tissue pressure, may play a role in the pathogenesis of germinal matrix/intraventricular hemorrhage in the premature newborn. This study examines the relationship between the concentration of serum sodium and germinal matrix/intraventricular hemorrhage in 299 premature infants with birth weights of less than 1500 g during the first 4 days of life. Intraventricular hemorrhage developed in 34 (32%) of the 106 infants with maximum serum sodium levels of 145 mmol/L or less and in 54 (28%) of 193 infants whose highest serum sodium levels were greater than 145 mmol/L (chi 2 = 0.37). These data suggest that concentrations of serum sodium greater than 145 mmol/L are not associated with an increased risk of germinal matrix/intraventricular hemorrhage in the premature newborn. Consequently, more liberal administration of fluids to maintain extravascular cerebral tissue pressure is unlikely to reduce the incidence of germinal matrix hemorrhage/intraventricular hemorrhage.
Lupton
B A
BA
Division of Neonatology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
Roland
E H
EH
Whitfield
M F
MF
Hill
A
A
D001724:Birth Weight / Q000502:physiology; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000502:physiology; D002543:Cerebral Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology*; D003681:Dehydration / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D006955:Hypernatremia / Q000150:complications*; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight / Q000097:blood; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000097:blood*; D007235:Infant, Premature, Diseases / Q000097:blood; D007427:Intracranial Pressure; D012964:Sodium / Q000097:blood*
D012964:Sodium