Electrolytes Flashcards
Normal Plasma Potassium Levels?
3.5-5.1 mEq/L
Hypokalemia is Potassium below what value?
Categorize Mild, Moderate and Severe
- <3.5
- Mild = 3.1-3.5
- Moderate = 2.5-3
- Severe = <2.5
What can cause hypokalemia? (4)
- Decr intake (rare)
- Incr potassium loss (kidney, GI, sweat, V/D)
- Hypomagnesemia -> renal K wasting and decr of intracellular K
- Drug induced
Name some drugs that can cause Hypokalemia
- beta 2 agonists
- Theophylline
- Levothyroxine
- Thiazide and loop diuretics
- High dose penicillin
- Laxatives
- Sodium polystyrene sulfonate
- Patiromer
Clinical presentation of Mild vs Moderate to severe
Mild = usually no sx’s
Mod to severe : depends on severity and rapidity of onset
- cramping, weakness, malaise and myalgias
Cardiac : ECG changes and arryhthmias
- What to do about hypokalemia and hypomagnesemia together?
- What agents preferred for asx pt’s and symptomatic pt’s w/severe depletion?
tx for magnesium first! Mg is needed for K uptake
- Oral preferred
- IV may be necessary
Hypokalemia : Non pharm?
Food : OJ, spinach, bananas, tomatoes, nuts, chocolate
Hypokalemia : oral Potassium
- best for?
- Which is often used?
- adverse effects?
- asx patients
- potassium chloride
- Abdominal pain or cramping
-diarrhea, nausea, flatulence
-Hyperkalemia
General rules
1. Admin of 10 mEq of Kcl = increase in serum K by how much?
2. Divide doses to minimize ?
- common dosing?
- 0.1 mEq/L
- GI effects
- 10-40 mEq daily to qid
Hypokalemia and Iv products
1. For severe or ____ pt’s or pt’s unable to ?
2. Cons? (3)
3. MUST BE ____ before use. USe as infusion
4. What’s used to dilute it?
- Dosing schemes? (2)
- Recheck K after _____
- symptomatic , take oral
- Considered high risk and high alert meds , pain at infusion site , can be fatal if admined undiluted or IV push
- DILUTED
- NS or 0.45% saline, avoid D5W
- 10 meq/100 mL over 1 hr (peripheral admin ok)
20mEq/50 mL over 1 hr via central line only (recc to check ECG)
- 30-40 meq total. At least 30-60 mins after end of last infusion.
Hyperkalemia
1. K greater than?
2. What’s Mild, mod, and severe?
3. Caused by?
- 5.1
- 5.2-5.9 , 6-6.4, >6.5
- Incr dietary intake. Incr endog K (tumor lysis syndrome)
Decr renal CL , Drug induced, Low renin and aldosterone state , adrenal insufficiency, hyperglycemia
What drugs can cause Hyperkalemia?
Nsaids, beta blockers, cyclosporine, diabetes, elderly
Spironolactone , ACEI’s and ARBS
Hyperkalemia : Clinical presentation ?
Sx’s range from asx to severe
- heart palpitations or skipped heartbeats
-Cardiac can be life threatening
Hyperkalemia TX for MILD cases with NO ecg change
- Remove potassium from Body using any K+ Binder
- Can use furosemide 20-40 mg IVP x 1
Moderate TX with NO ECG CHANGE?
- Name agents and process
- Shift potassium intracellularly
- use Insulin 0.1 units/kg IVP or Albuterol nebulizer 10 mg
-or sodium bicarb infusion 50-125 mL/hr or 50 meq IVP if pH <7.15 or HCO3 <15 - REMOVE K FROM BODY
-Use any potassium binder