The feasibility of emergency department observation units in the management of mild to moderate hyponatremia.

Objective: To describe the feasibility of managing hyponatremia patients under outpatient observation status in an academic medical center, and compare outcomes based on the use of an emergency department observation unit (EDOU).

Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study of emergency department hyponatremic patients managed in four hospitals within a large urban academic medical center over 27 months. All patients had an admit-to-observation order, ICD-10 codes for hyponatremia, and mild (130-135 mmol/L) to moderate (121-129 mmol/L) hyponatremia.