Assessment of the Tubular Handling of Potassium in Cirrhotic Patients Treated with a Combination of Furosemide + Spironolactone

Cirrhotic patients develop hyperaldosteronism secondary to advanced stages of their illness and require treatment with furosemide + spironolactone. The tubular handling of potassium (K) in this patients under such combined diuretic scheme (antagonic) had not yet been studied, therefore we decided to document in an original way the net effect, in this pharmacological context, of the renal potassium handling assessed by means of two specific indicators for that purpose: the fractional excretion of potassium (FEK) and the trastubular potassium gradient (TTKG).