Worth its salt

A treatment worth its salt?

Is sodium chloride worth its salt?

The choice of fluid for resuscitation of the brain-injured patient remains controversial, and the 'ideal' resuscitation fluid has yet to be identified. Large volumes of hypotonic solutions must be avoided because of the risk of cerebral swelling and intracranial hypertension. Traditionally, 0.9% sodium chloride has been used in patients at risk of intracranial hypertension, but there is increas...

Albumin in critical care: SAFE, but worth its salt?

Intravascular fluid therapy is a common critical care intervention. However, the optimal type of resuscitation fluid, crystalloid or colloid, remains controversial. Despite the many theoretical benefits of human albumin administration in critically ill patients, there has been little evidence to support its widespread clinical use. Previous systematic reviews have led to conflicting results reg...

Tolvaptan (Samsca) for Hyponatremia: Is It Worth Its Salt?

INTRODUCTION Hyponatremia is the most common electrolyte abnormality in patients who are admitted to the hospital. Affecting 5.5% of patients, hyponatremia is manifested as a decrease in serum sodium levels, accompanied by symptoms ranging from nausea to seizures and coma. The presence and degree of these symptoms are dependent on the rate of the decrease in sodium as well as the absolute sodiu...

Salt and hypertension: is salt dietary reduction worth the effort?

In numerous epidemiologic, clinical, and experimental studies, dietary sodium intake has been linked to blood pressure, and a reduction in dietary salt intake has been documented to lower blood pressure. In young subjects, salt intake has a programming effect in that blood pressure remains elevated even after a high salt intake has been reduced. Elderly subjects, African Americans, and obese pa...