Endocrine and Electrolyte Emergencies
by Sharon Bord, MDEndocrine emergencies are often potentially life-threatening and can be easily overlooked in patients with no history of endocrine disease. Endocrine emergencies are relatively infrequent in clinical practice. Correct management requires prompt recognition and treatment, often without supporting laboratory studies. An understanding of the pathophysiology of these acute states of hormone excess or deficiency assists in establishing the correct diagnosis and initiating the proper therapy.
Electrolyte and fluid imbalances, on the other hand, are disorders frequently observed in critical care patients. In many instances, patients are asymptomatic, but they may also present with neurological alterations, severe muscle weakness, nausea and vomiting, or cardiovascular emergencies. Therefore, a pathophysiological understanding of these disorders is necessary for initiating an appropriate therapy. After a precise history (including drug prescriptions) has been obtained from the patient or their relatives, the determination of their hydration status and measurements of their acid-base status, plasma and urine osmolality, and electrolytes are the first steps in the assessment of the disease. Once a diagnosis has been established, great attention has to be paid to the rate at which the disorder is corrected because this, if inappropriate, may cause more-severe damage to the patient than the disease itself.
Course Details
- Videos 11
- Duration 1:08 h
- Quiz questions 34
- Concept Pages 9
