With increased water loss, burn patients are most likely to also experience:

With increased water loss, burn patients are most likely to also experience:

• A. Hypernatremia
• B. Hyponatremia
• C. Hypomagnesemia
• D. Hypoosmolality

Answer: (A)

When water loss is elevated, the body’s remaining fluids become more concentrated. In burn patients, substantial insensible water loss through damaged skin leaves behind less free water relative to solutes, so the serum sodium concentration increases and plasma osmolality rises. This shift results in hypernatremia. Hyponatremia would require more water than solute to be lost or replaced, which isn’t the typical pattern with pure water loss. Hypoosmolality would mean too little osmolality, opposite of what occurs with concentrated fluids, and hypomagnesemia, while possible in burn patients due to overall electrolyte disturbances, isn’t the direct result of water loss itself.

When water loss is elevated, the body’s remaining fluids become more concentrated. In burn patients, substantial insensible water loss through damaged skin leaves behind less free water relative to solutes, so the serum sodium concentration increases and plasma osmolality rises. This shift results in hypernatremia. Hyponatremia would require more water than solute to be lost or replaced, which isn’t the typical pattern with pure water loss. Hypoosmolality would mean too little osmolality, opposite of what occurs with concentrated fluids, and hypomagnesemia, while possible in burn patients due to overall electrolyte disturbances, isn’t the direct result of water loss itself.