Liver Cancer Patient With Hypervolemic Hyponatremia
Diagnosis
Hypervolemic hyponatremia in a patient with hepatocellular carcinoma
Why Vaprisol was chosen for treatment
MRI of the chest and abdomen showed new metastases in the liver, pleura, pericardium, and spine. The patient's hyponatremia worsened during the hospital stay, accompanied by signs of mental confusion. Treatment with Vaprisol was initiated to raise serum sodium in hypervolemic hyponatremia.
Initial Presentation
The patient is a 69-year-old white female admitted to the hospital for evaluation of dyspnea and right-sided pleural effusion. At admission, the patient was mildly hyponatremic, with a serum sodium of 130 mEq/L and a serum creatinine of 0.9 mg/dL.*
Medical History
- Hepatocellular carcinoma unrelated to cirrhosis
- Diabetes
- Hyperlipidemia
- Heart failure
- TIA
Medications
- Aspirin
- Clopidogrel
- Atorvastatin
- Insulin
- Telmisartan
- Carvedilol
Exam Findings
| Vital Signs | BP: 119/69 mm Hg, HR: 82 bpm, temperature: 99° F, RR: 18 |
| Mental Status | Oriented to person, place, and time |
| Lungs | Diminished sounds on the right side |
| EKG | NSR with left-axis deviation and borderline low voltage |
| X-ray | Prominent hilar lymph nodes, small pleural effusion noted on the right side |
| Other | 1+ pedal edema, evidence of jugular venous distension |
| Labs | Albumin, INR, and bilirubin all within normal limits |
Patient's progression from admission through follow-up at day 5
| VITAL SIGNS | LAB VALUES | |||||||
| BP |
HR |
Weight (lb) |
Urine Output (cc) |
Urine Osmolality |
Urine Na+ |
Serum Na+ |
NOTES | |
| Upon Admission |
119/69 | 82 | 165 | — | 625 | 55 | 130 |
Patient started on fluid restriction |
| Day 1 | 120/50 | 80 | — | 1100 | — | — | 122 | A loading dose of Vaprisol 20-mg IV was administered over 30 minutes followed by a 20-mg continuous infusion administered over 24 hours |
| Day 2 | 110/70 | 76 | 163 | 2500 | 153 | 5 | 128 | Vaprisol 20-mg IV continuous infusion administered over 24 hours |
| Day 3 | 136/68 | 74 | 162 | 1700 | 103 | 7 | 134 | Vaprisol 20-mg IV continuous infusion administered over 24 hours |
| Day 4 | 110/68 | 74 | — | 1100 | — | — | 136 | Vaprisol discontinued |
| Day 5 | 108/70 | 72 | — | 1200 | — | — | 138 | Work-up of pleural effusion commences |
*In clinical studies of Vaprisol, the adverse event profile in elderly patients was similar to that seen in the general population.1





