Severe hypernatremia after hypertonic saline irrigation of hydatid cysts.

IMPLICATIONS: Patients with iatrogenic hypernatremia and serum sodium levels >170 mmol/L either die or sustain severe central nervous system damage. We report the first case of an adult patient who survived an extreme iatrogenic acute hypernatremia (200 mmol/L) resulting from a hypertonic saline irrigation of multiple intraabdominal hydatid cysts. It is a unique report of an intraoperatively developed serum sodium increase without subsequent neurological damage.