Undercorrection of hypernatremia is frequent and associated with mortality.

Background: About 1% of patients admitted to the Emergency Department (ED) have hypernatremia, a condition associated with a mortality rate of 20 to 60%. Management recommendations originate from intensive care unit studies, in which patients and medical diseases differ from those in ED.

Methods: We retrospectively studied clinical characteristics, treatments, and outcomes of severely hypernatremic patients in the ED and risk factors associated with death occurrence during hospitalization.