HYPERKALEMIA

• Hyperkalemia is defined as plasma potassium level of 5.5mM/L
• Severe hyperkalemia is >6.0mM/L

 Etiology-

• Renal failure
• Decrease distal flow
• Decrease K⁺ secretion (most common)
• Impaired Na reabsorption
• Increase chloride reabsorption
• Pseudohyperkalemia
• Drugs- ACE inhibitors, NSAIDs, amiloride, Digitalis overdose, Heparin, lithium, succinyl chloride, cyclosporine.

Pseudohyperkalemia-

• It is an artifactual increase in serum K⁺ due to release of K⁺ in venipuncture.

Clinical feature-

• Cardiac arrhythmias
• Sinus bradycardia, sinus arrest
• Ventricular tachycardia
• The ECG in hyperkalemia classically shows increase QRS duration. 
• Prolonged PR interval, prolonged QRS duration and ventricular asystole are  manifestations of hyperkalemia. 

 Treatment can be studied in module 1726

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