The following is a summary of “Association between preoperative serum sodium and postoperative 30-day mortality in adult patients with tumor craniotomy,” published in the October 2023 issue of Neurology by Liu et al.

Researchers started a retrospective study investigating the relationship between preoperative serum sodium (Na) and 30-day mortality in adult patients with tumor craniotomy.

They analyzed data from the ACS NSQIP database (2012–2015). The main exposure was preoperative Na; the outcome measure was 30-day postoperative mortality. Binary logistic regression was used to examine the relationship, and a generalized additive model with smooth curve fitting assessed the potential association and its curve shape explicitly. Sensitivity analyses and subgroup analyses were conducted.

The results showed 17,844 patients (47.59% male). The mean preoperative Na level was 138.63 ± 3.23 mmol/L, and the 30-day mortality rate was 2.54% (455/17,844). After adjusting for covariates, preoperative Na was negatively associated with 30-day mortality (OR = 0.967, 95% CI: 0.941, 0.994). Among patients with Na ≤ 140, each unit increase in Na was linked to a 7.1% decrease in 30-day mortality (OR = 0.929, 95% CI: 0.898, 0.961). Conversely, in cases with Na > 140, each increased Na unit was associated with an 8.8% increase in 30-day mortality (OR = 1.088, 95% CI: 1.019, 1.162). Sensitivity analysis and subgroup analysis confirmed the robustness of the results.

They concluded preoperative Na management and maintenance near 140 mmol/L may reduce 30-day mortality in adult patients with tumor craniotomy.

Source: bmcneurol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12883-023-03412-2