Researchers explore outcomes for patients with high potassium
High levels of potassium in the blood, common in people on certain medications or with kidney disease, often come with no symptoms but can be deadly in severe cases.
Researchers at Western University and London Health Sciences Centre Research Institute have found that the risk of death is significantly lower among patients with high potassium who can reach an emergency department within 24 hours of an abnormal reading. In their study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, researchers studied population health data to determine how many patients with diagnosed high potassium went to the emergency department and the outcomes of those who did.
Emergency department treatments for high potassium can only be provided in a hospital setting and involve medications to protect the heart and quickly lower potassium levels. The study's findings aim to help healthcare providers make clinical decisions about whether patients with high potassium need in-hospital care, taking into account factors like age, chronic conditions, and laboratory values.
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