RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Renal function in sick very low birthweight infants: 3. Sodium, potassium, and water excretion.
JF Archives of Disease in Childhood
JO Arch Dis Child
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
SP 1154
OP 1161
DO 10.1136/adc.67.10_Spec_No.1154
VO 67
IS 10 Spec No
A1 B H Wilkins
YR 1992
UL http://adc.bmj.com/content/67/10_Spec_No/1154.abstract
AB Renal excretion of sodium, water, and potassium was measured on 434 occasions in a sample of 40 infants of 25.5-33 weeks' gestation, birth weight 720-2000 g, between the ages of 0.5 and 36 days. Water excretion varied between 1% and 30% of the glomerular filtration rate, or 15-350 ml/kg/day, and varied widely from day to day in individual infants. Nearly all infants became hyponatraemic before or after the first postnatal week. There were a few instances of hypernatraemia in the first week caused by high insensible water loss. There were high levels of sodium excretion up to 16% of filtered sodium, or 21 mmol/kg/day, in the first two postnatal weeks. Highest levels of sodium excretion were seen in the most immature infants in the first week. In most infants sodium excretion increased either in the first week or later before a subsequent decline. Potassium excretion was often high in the first week, as much as 96% of filtered potassium, or 5 mmol/kg/day, and is associated with early hyperkalaemia.