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Hypokalemia

Hypokalemia is a potentially fatal condition in which the body fails to retain sufficient potassium to maintain health. The condition is also known as potassium deficiency. The prefix hypo- means low (contrast with hyper-, meaning high). The middle kal refers to kalium, which is Latin for potassium. The end portion of the word, -emia, means 'in the blood' (note, however, that hypokalemia is usually indicative of a systemic potassium deficit). more...

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Signs and symptoms

There may be no symptoms at all but severe hypokalemia may cause:

  • Muscle weakness
  • Disturbed heart rhythm (arrhythmias), leading to ectopic beats
  • Serious arrhythmias
  • Increased risk of hyponatraemia with resultant confusion and seizures

Causes

Hypokalemia can result from a variety of medical conditions:

  • Perhaps most obviously, insufficient consumption of potassium (that is, a low-potassium diet) can result in the condition. More commonly, however, hypokalemia occurs due to excessive loss of potassium, often associated with excess water loss, which "flushes" potassium out of the body. Typically, this is a consequence of vomiting and diarrhea.
  • Hypomagnesemia can also cause hypokalemia. This is realized as a possibility when hypokalemia persists despite potassium supplementation.
  • Certain medications can also accelerate the removal of potassium from the body, including loop diuretics, such as furosemide or bumetanide, as well as various laxatives. The antifungal amphotericin B is also associated with hypokalemia. Often doctors and pharmacists will suggest changes in their patients' diets to compensate for the effects of medication. For instance, recommending that a patient eat a (potassium-rich) banana daily; sometimes, doctors will co-prescribe a potassium supplement when a potassium-depleting drug is prescribed.

Pathophysiology

Potassium is essential for many body functions, including muscle and nerve activity. Potassium is the principal intracellular cation, with a concentration of about 145 mEq/L, as compared with a normal value of about 4 mEq/L in extracellular fluid, including blood. More than 98% of the body's potassium is intracellular; measuring it from a blood sample is relatively insensitive, with small fluctuations in the blood corresponding to very large changes in the total bodily reservoir of potassium.

The osmotic gradient of potassium between intracellular and extracellular space is essential for nerve function; in particular, potassium is needed to repolarize the cell membrane to a resting state after an action potential has passed. Decreased potassium levels in the extracellular will cause hyperpolarization of the resting membrane potential. As a result, a greater than normal stimulus is required for depolarization of the membrane in order to initiate an action potential.

Potassium is also essential to the normal muscular function, in both voluntary muscle (e.g. the arms and hands) and involuntary muscle (e.g. the heart and intestines). Severe abnormalities in potassium levels can seriously disrupt cardiac function, even to the point of causing cardiac arrest and death.

Read more at Wikipedia.org


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How to recognize hypokalemia
From Nursing, 2/1/00 by Schmidt, Tracy Call

KEN WILSON, 52, has had a right knee replacement. On his first postoperative day, he tells you he's nauseated, dizzy, and weak. You note that his urine output has increased from 90 to 150 ml/hour. He's been taking furosemide, 40 mg, daily since he's been in the hospital. His vital signs are: BP, 100/50; respirations, 24; heart rate, 98 and irregular; temperature 98.90 F (37.20 Q. His skin is cool and clammy, and his peripheral pulses are weak and thready.

What testing reveals

The results of lab tests indicate that Mr. Wilson's potassium is 3.1 mEq/liter (normal, 3.5 to 5.0 mEq/liter), and he's diagnosed with hypokalemia-a decrease of potassium in the extracellular fluid-secondary to diuretic therapy.

Potassium is depleted when a patient loses high volumes of fluids. Possible causes include fluid loss from skin (for example, sweating or bums), diuretic or corticosteroid use, poor dietary intake, gastrointestinal losses, or alkalosis.

Signs and symptoms

Signs and symptoms of hypokalemia include nausea, vomiting, paralytic ileus, dizziness, muscle weakness and cramping, fatigue, decreased level of consciousness, confusion, and lethargy. Hypokalemia can cause cardiac arrhythmias that can advance to cardiac arrest if left untreated.

Nursing interventions

Mr. Wilson's physician orders an IN. infusion of 10 mEq of potassium chloride in 250 ml of D5W over 2 hours until his serum potassium returns to 4.1 mEq/liter. Then, because he'll continue to receive furosemide, he'll be placed on 10 mEq of potassium chloride b.i.d. as an oral supplement because of the potential for fluid loss.

You should monitor your patient's heart rate, intake and output, and weight. Always dilute potassium (20 to 40 mEq/liter); if not diluted properly, it can cause phlebitis or irritate the heart muscle and cause cardiac arrest. Intravenous potassium replacement can be painful, so take care to administer it slowly. When giving potassium orally, be sure to dilute it in 4 to 6 ounces of water or juice because it can irritate the stomach lining.

BY TRACY CALL SCHMIDT, RN, FNPC, MSN

Clinical Instructor -University of Utah College ofNursing o Salt Lake City, Utah

SHIPHRAH ALICIA WILLIAMS-EVANS, CS, Phl),

Professor ofNursing o Delta State University * Cleveland, Miss.

Copyright Springhouse Corporation Feb 2000
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved

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