title: [Water and electrolyte disturbances in critical care].
abstract: Management of critically ill patients regularly involves the treatment of water and electrolyte disturbances. Moreover, critical care itself may contribute to volume overload and electrolyte abnormalities. Initial therapy should be followed by consequent diagnostic evaluation. The shift of volume and potassium in severe pancreatitis, for example, may lead to a life-threatening situation. In brain-dead patients, successful organ donation is facilitated by careful maintenance of water and electrolyte homeostasis.
authors.affiliation: Medizinische Klinik I, Nephrologie, Gastroenterologie, Transplantationsmedizin und Internistische Intensivmedizin, Kliniken der Stadt Köln gGmbH, Köln.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Matthäus
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schnitzler
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Weithofer
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Weber
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Merkel
mesh_terms: D003422:Critical Care / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D014883:Water-Electrolyte Imbalance / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*