Stop the infusion immediately if signs or symptoms of a hypersensitivity reaction develop, such as tachycardia, chest pain, dyspnea and flushing. Appropriate therapeutic countermeasures must be instituted as clinically indicated.
Depending on the volume and rate of infusion, and the patient's underlying clinical condition, the intravenous administration of Sodium Chloride Injection, USP can cause fluid disturbances such as overhydration/hypervolemia and congested states, including pulmonary congestion and edema.
Avoid 0.9% Sodium Chloride Injection, USP in patients with or at risk for fluid and/or solute overloading. If use cannot be avoided, monitor fluid balance, electrolyte concentrations, and acid base balance, as needed and especially during prolonged use.
Hyponatremia
Sodium Chloride Injection, USP may cause hyponatremia. Hyponatremia can lead to acute hyponatremic encephalopathy characterized by headache, nausea, seizures, lethargy, and vomiting. Patients with brain edema are at particular risk of severe, irreversible and life-threatening brain injury.
The risk of hospital-acquired hyponatremia is increased in patients with cardiac or pulmonary failure, and in patients with non-osmotic vasopressin release (including SIADH) treated with high volume of Sodium Chloride Injection, USP.
The risk for hyponatremia is increased in pediatric patients, elderly patients, postoperative patients, those with psychogenic polydipsia, and in patients treated with medications that increase the risk of hyponatremia (such as diuretics, certain antiepileptic and psychotropic medications). See DRUG INTERACTIONS.
Patients at increased risk for developing complications of hyponatremia such as hyponatremic encephalopathy, include pediatric patients, women (in particular pre-menopausal women), patients with hypoxemia, and patients with underlying central nervous system disease. Avoid Sodium Chloride Injection, USP in patients with or at risk for hyponatremia. If use cannot be avoided, monitor serum sodium concentrations.
Rapid correction of hyponatremia is potentially dangerous with risk of serious neurologic complications. Brain adaptations reducing risk of cerebral edema make the brain vulnerable to injury when chronic hyponatremia is too rapidly corrected, which is known as osmotic demyelination syndrome (ODS). To avoid complications, monitor serum sodium and chloride concentrations, fluid status, acid-base balance, and signs of neurologic complications.
Hypernatremia
Hypernatremia may occur with Sodium Chloride Injection, USP. Conditions that may increase the risk of hypernatremia, fluid overload and edema (central and peripheral), include patients with: primary hyperaldosteronism; secondary hyperaldosteronism
associated with, for example, hypertension, congestive heart failure, liver disease (including cirrhosis), renal disease (including renal artery stenosis, nephrosclerosis); and pre-eclampsia.
Certain medications, such as corticosteroids or corticotropin, may also increase risk of sodium and fluid retention, see DRUG INTERACTIONS.
Avoid Sodium Chloride Injection, USP in patients with, or at risk for, hypernatremia. If use cannot be avoided, monitor serum sodium concentrations.
Rapid correction of hypernatremia is potentially dangerous with risk of serious neurologic complications. Excessively rapid correction of hypernatremia is also associated with a risk for serious neurologic complications such as osmotic demyelination syndrome (ODS) with risk of seizures and cerebral edema.