A patient with IICP has a sodium level of 128 mEq/L. The physician orders 3% hypertonic saline. What is the primary goal of this intervention?

A. Induce diuresis is incorrect because while hypertonic saline can have some osmotic effects, its primary purpose in the context of IICP is not to produce urine output. Diuretics like mannitol are more commonly used for osmotic diuresis. B. Correct hyponatremia is incorrect because although hypertonic saline will raise sodium levels, the main goal in a patient with IICP is not just correcting hyponatremia. Sodium correction is secondary to its effect on reducing brain swelling. Rapid correction of sodium carries its own risks, such as central pontine myelinolysis, so careful monitoring is required. C. Reduce cerebral edema is correct because 3% hypertonic saline creates an osmotic gradient that draws water out of swollen brain tissue into the intravascular space. This decreases cerebral edema, lowers intracranial pressure, and helps prevent further neurologic deterioration. This is the primary goal of hypertonic saline in patients with increased ICP. D. Increase blood pressure is incorrect because while hypertonic saline can increase intravascular volume slightly, its main therapeutic effect is on reducing brain swelling, not directly managing systemic blood pressure.