A patient has developed Syndrome of Inappropriate Antidiuretic Hormone (SIADH) after suffering a traumatic brain injury. After treatment has been initiated, the nurse assesses the patient for signs of improvement, including:

Explanation

• SIADH involves the excessive release of antidiuretic hormone (ADH). This results in fluid retention, clinically causing edema, increased urine osmolarity (concentrated) and hyponatremia

• Outcomes of treatment include increased urine output, decrease in urine osmolarity (diluted), decrease in body weight and edema

• Normally, ADH is inhibited by a reduction in plasma osmolality. In SIADH, the release of ADH is not inhibited because of a problem with excretion from the posterior pituitary. This is caused by brain tumors, traumatic injuries, meningitis, and drugs

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