Massive Aquaresis After Tolvaptan Administration and Albumin Infusion in a Patient with Alcoholic Cirrhosis

The management of hyponatremia in patients with end-stage liver disease is always a challenge for caring physicians because of limited options, poor responses, and risk of central pontine myelinolysis due to rapid correction of hyponatremia.1 Tolvaptan, an oral competitive arginine vasopressin V2-receptor antagonist, is effective for treating euvolemic or hypervolemic hyponatremia, including cirrhosis-related hyponatremia, and is well tolerated.2, 3 We describe a patient with alcoholic cirrhosis-associated hyponatremia who developed massive aquaresis after tolvaptan administration and intravenous albumin infusion.

A 40-year-old man with recently diagnosed alcoholic cirrhosis presented with a 2-day history of increasing lethargy and anasarca.

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— –Charles Cho, MD, Joy L. Logan, MD, Yeong-Hau H. Lien, MD, PhD

This is an article in press on The American Journal of Medicine website.