Importance of etiologic factors and electrocardiographic findings for diagnosis of emergency hyperkalemic patients

Journal Title: International Journal of Medical Science and Public Health - Year 2017, Vol 6, Issue 9

Abstract

Background: Hyperkalemia is the life-threatening problem. Early diagnosis and treatment of patients with the possibility of hyperkalemia should be performed in emergency department. Comorbid diseases used medications and electrocardiography (ECG) findings can be important clues for the possibility of hyperkalemic states. Objectives: In our study, we aimed to identify causes of hyperkalemia in patients who admitted to emergency department and to evaluate the importance of the relationship between hyperkalemia and ECG. Materials and Methods: Our study desing was prospective. The patients who admitted to emergency department which has annual turnover of 70,000 patients between June 01, 2012, and June 01, 2014, were investigated. Total 100 patients aged 18 years and above who had hyperkalemia were included in the study. Patients were divided into three groups according to the level of potassium (1-mild: 5-5.9 mEq/L, 2-moderate: 6-7 mEq/L, 3-severe: >7 meq/L) and ECG finding of these hyperkalemic patients were evaluated. Patients were categorized according to etiology of hyperkalemia in four groups. They are chronic renal failure (CRF), acute renal failure (ARF), (angiotensinconverting-enzyme inhibitor /angiotensin-receptor blocker (ACEI/ARB) use and spironolactone use. Results: In our study, we included 100 patients with hyperkalemia. Potassium value of patients was maximum 8.1 mEq/L and mean value was 6.12 +/− 0.66 mEq/L. There was no significant correlation between the ECG and potassium level (P = 0.107). In our study, we found that the most contributing cause was CRF, the second was ARF and the third was ACEI/ARB +/− spironolactone. Conclusions: According to our study, it should be kept in mind that even if the ECG findings are normal, hyperkalemia may occur in patients with ARF, CRF, spironolactone, and ACEI/ARB drug users.

Authors and Affiliations

Gonca Koksaldi Sahin, Yuksel Gokel, Yeliz Simsek

Keywords

Related Articles

Biomedical waste management practices in a tertiary-care hospital in Punjab

Background: Biomedical waste (BMW) has recently emerged as an issue of major concern not only to hospitals and nursing homes, but also to the environmental and law enforcing agencies, media, and the general public. BMW...

Retrospective study of papulonodular skin lesions and their clinopathological correlation

Background: Papulonodular lesion of the skin is a more common variety. Various types of diseases manifested with papulonodular lesions surface, for example, infectious diseases, benign neoplastic diseases, and malign...

A study of the prevalence of overweight, obesity, and their associations with socioeconomic status among young men residing in a rural area, Kancheepuram District, Tamil Nadu, India

Background: Non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension are increasing worldwide. Overweight and obesity may be assessed using internationally accepted criteria developed by the World Health Organization...

Human papiloma virus testing in the cervix of high-risk women: A hospital-based clinicopathological, colposcopic, and cytogenetic study

Background: The role of human papillomavirus (HPV) in the etiopathogenesis of precancerous and cancerous lesions of the cervix has been proven beyond doubt. Uterine cervix is a privileged organ being accessible and e...

Awareness of diabetic retinopathy and barriers for eye screening among adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus attending tertiary care teaching hospital, Davanagere, Karnataka

Background: India is currently being considered the diabetic capital of the world. With the huge burden of diabetes, more emphasis has to be laid about the disease and its complications. Diabetic retinopathy, one of the...

Download PDF file
  • EP ID EP332567
  • DOI 10.5455/ijmsph.2017.0617127072017
  • Views 110
  • Downloads 0

How To Cite

Gonca Koksaldi Sahin, Yuksel Gokel, Yeliz Simsek (2017). Importance of etiologic factors and electrocardiographic findings for diagnosis of emergency hyperkalemic patients. International Journal of Medical Science and Public Health, 6(9), 1445-1448. https://europub.co.uk/articles/-A-332567