Hyponatremia and Hospital Outcomes in Pneumonia Patients
Author Information
Author(s): Marya D Zilberberg, Alex Exuzides, James Spalding, Aimee Foreman, Alison Graves Jones, Chris Colby, Andrew F Shorr
Primary Institution: Evi Med Research Group, LLC
Hypothesis
Hyponatremia at admission is associated with an increased risk of hospital death among patients with pneumonia and adds significantly to hospital length of stay and costs.
Conclusion
Hyponatremia is common among hospitalized patients with pneumonia and is associated with worsened clinical and economic outcomes.
Supporting Evidence
- Hyponatremia was present in 8.1% of pneumonia patients.
- Patients with hyponatremia had longer ICU and hospital stays.
- Hyponatremia was associated with higher hospital costs, exceeding $7,000.
Takeaway
Having low sodium levels when you're in the hospital for pneumonia can make you sicker and cost more money.
Methodology
Retrospective cohort study analyzing a large administrative database from January 2004 to December 2005.
Potential Biases
Potential for residual confounding and immortal time bias due to the study design.
Limitations
Observational nature may lead to confounding; reliance on administrative data may result in misclassification.
Participant Demographics
Patients with pneumonia were 45% male, 85% Caucasian, with a mean age of 68.4 years.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.01, p=0.02, p<0.001, p=0.07, p=0.1
Confidence Interval
95% CI 1.20–2.08, 95% CI 1.13–2.69, 95% CI 0.90–1.87
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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