An imbalance in electrolyte concentration during separation from cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) may lead to a disruption in excitation-contraction coupling resulting in a failure to wean. The etiology of myocardial dysfunction is multifactorial, and includes alterations in acid-base balance, glucose metabolism, and cellular function. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of hyperkale...

Severe hyperkalemia is a medical emergency that can cause lethal arrhythmias. Successful management requires monitoring of the electrocardiogram and serum potassium concentrations, the prompt institution of therapies that work both synergistically and sequentially, and timely repeat dosing as necessary. It is of concern then that, based on questions about effectiveness and safety, many physicia...

Heparin may cause hyperkalemia by blocking aldosterone biosynthesis in the adrenal gland. Dizygotic twin sisters were born by Cesarean section at 25 weeks' gestation. The younger sister developed acute hyperkalemia (7.4 mEq/L) at 10 days of age. At the time of the development of the hyperkalemia, there were no signs of systemic infection, cardiac or renal failure, adrenal insufficiency, or sudd...

This is a case of a sudden cardio-pulmonary arrest in a 29 year-old female, which occurred immediately after a large bolus infusion of propofol (100 mg) intravenously during dilatation and curettage. The arrest suddenly occurred, and the patient was eventually transferred to our emergency room (ER) on cardiopulmonary resuscitation. At that time, severe hyperkalemia up to 9.1 mEq/L and ventricul...

TOPIC: Critical Care TYPE: Fellow Case Reports INTRODUCTION: . CASE PRESENTATION: A 71-year-old with cirrhosis, presented for epistaxis and was admitted due to AKI (Cr 2.4 from baseline of 0.8). She started on treatment hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) midodrine, SQ octreotide, albumin. That same day, a rapid response called acute symptomatic bradycardia (HR 40s-50s), hypotension (SBP 60s) obtundatio...

Background: Hyperkalemia is a common electrolyte disorder observed in the emergency department. It often associated with underlying predisposing conditions, such as moderate or severe kidney disease, heart failure, diabetes mellitus, significant tissue trauma. Additionally, medications, inhibitors of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, potassium-sparing diuretics, nonsteroidal anti-inflammato...

The authors present a case of Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole-induced hyperkalemia in a patient with normal renal function. While toxicity of this drug has been reported in patients with renal insufficiency, this case highlights the toxicity associated with normal kidney function. Due to its popularity in the medical field and to the largely unrecognized effect of hyperkalemia, it is important to...

We report two cases of pseudo inferior wall myocardial infarction where ST segment elevation in inferior leads was caused by hyperkalemia and atrial tachycardia respectively. Only one case of pseudo inferior Ml caused by hyperkalemia has been reported so far and atrial tachycardia as a cause has hitherto been unreported.

29 ABSTRACT: Background: Hyperkalemia is a common condition, occurring in up to 10% of hospitalized patients. Al though severe hyperkalemia is a life-threatening condition, there is little consistency in the management of high serum potassium. We conducted a quality improvement project aimed at increasing the proportion of hy perkalemia cases managed according to the best available evidence and...

This report describes hyperkalemia-induced failure of atrial capture associated with preservation of ventricular pacing in a patient with a dual-chamber (DDD) pacemaker. This differential effect on atrial and ventricular excitability during cardiac pacing correlates with the well known clinical and experimental observation that the atrial myocardium is more sensitive to hyperkalemia than is the...