In the patient with severe hyponatremia (Na 110 mEq/L), which complication is a major transport risk?

• A. Cerebral edema
• B. Hyperkalemia
• C. Hyperglycemia
• D. Renal failure

Answer: (A)

Severe hyponatremia lowers the extracellular osmolality, so water shifts from the bloodstream into brain cells, causing the brain to swell. This brain edema raises intracranial pressure and can lead to brain herniation, which is a life-threatening problem during transport when monitoring and interventions are limited. That risk—cerebral edema due to cell swelling from low sodium—is the major transport concern in this scenario.

Other issues like hyperkalemia, hyperglycemia, or renal failure can complicate patient care in general, but they do not represent the acute, transport-critical complication directly driven by severe hyponatremia.