title: A survey of self-reported management of hypernatraemia acquired in Australasian intensive care units.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine self-reported treatment preferences among Australasian consultant intensivists for intensive care-acquired hypernatraemia (IAH).
  
  
  METHODS
  We used a web-based survey with 10 questions about the management of IAH.
  
  
  METHODS
  We measured number of respondents and response rate, IAH treatment methods, thresholds and the reasons for these.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 156 survey respondents, of whom 137 were consultant intensivists, representing a response rate of 31%. Ninety-three percent of responding clinicians (95% CI, 87%-96%) used intravenous fluid (49%; 95% CI, 40%-57%) or enteral nutrition changes (44%; 95% CI, 36%-53%) as their first choice of treatment. As alternative therapies, respondents reported using thiazides (22%; 95% CI, 16%-30%), aldosterone antagonists (20%; 95% CI, 14%-28%) and renal replacement therapy (14%; 95% CI, 9%-21%) less commonly.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a wide variety of treatments in use for IAH. Most clinicians initiate treatment at a level greater than the level that is independently associated with increased mortality in the literature.1 Initial treatment is equally divided between changes in intravenous fluid and changes in enteral nutrition.
authors.affiliation: Intensive Care Unit, Gold Coast University Hospital, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia. david_pearson@health.qld.gov.au.
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Pearson
authors.affiliation: Intensive Care Unit, Western Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: Forbes
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: McGain
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D003422:Critical Care; D016638:Critical Illness; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D006955:Hypernatremia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D057566:Self Report