Mild Hyponatremia After TJA: Safe to Discharge?

Associations with medical and overall complications were largely driven by acute kidney injury in a retrospective single-center study

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Mild postoperative hyponatremia occurred in 21% of patients after total joint arthroplasty, with sodium levels defined as below 135 mEq/L.
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Patients with postoperative hyponatremia had higher odds of medical and overall complications, primarily driven by acute kidney injury.
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Excluding acute kidney injury, postoperative hyponatremia was not associated with increased medical or overall complications.
4

No significant differences in surgical outcomes or rates of unplanned readmissions were found between hyponatremic and normonatremic patients.
5

The study suggests that asymptomatic mildly hyponatremic patients may be safely discharged without incurring additional management costs.

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