A 63-year-old man who presented to the hospital with altered mental status and decreased responsiveness was found to have severe symptomatic hyponatremia with a sodium level of 96 mmol/L and pneumonia. The patient was admitted to the medical intensive care unit for septic shock and acute severe hyponatremia. He was intubated for airway protection, and treated with 3% hypertonic saline bolus and antibiotics. After four days, sodium levels were corrected to 128 mmol/L, and the patient was extubated and downgraded to the medical floor. This case demonstrates one of the lowest recorded sodium lab values ever and the patient was successfully treated and discharged home with appropriate outpatient appointments.
Keywords: acute hyponatremia; altered mental state; aspiration pneumonia; intractable hiccups; primary polydipsia.
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