HyperK and Shades of Grey: Myths and Facts about Hyperkalemia Part II

Today we continue our discussion about the myths and facts of hyperkalemia with Dr. Brooks Walsh, author of the Mill Hill Ave Command blog. We also feature contributions from Dr. Stephen Smith, of Dr. Smith's ECG Blog. If you would like to refresh your memory on Part I visit here.                                          Dr. Walsh and I spoke about why he thought hyperkalemia presented such a challenge for EMS providers: "The recognition and treatment of hyperkalemia is one of those areas in medicine where, despite strong and clinically relevant results in the literature, the "usual practice" keeps kicking along. This is like a lot of areas in medicine, true." With that said, let us continue with Myths and Facts about Hyperkalemia Part II:   Myth: The ECG shows a predictable sequence of changes as the potassium level increases Experiments done on (presumably) healthy animals demonstrated a progression in ECG derangements as potassium levels were experimentally raised. A number of textbooks and review articles repeat this result, even though numerous human clinical studies have failed to replicate a linear relationship between the potassium level and specific ECG findings. For example, one review article, much referenced in the EM literature, presents a table describing the correlations between potassium levels and expected ECG ...
Source: EMS 12-Lead - Category: Cardiology Authors: Tags: ems-health-safety ems-topics patient-management Training training-development 12-Lead ECG Brooks Walsh M.D. David Baumrind ems12lead.com hyperkalemia Myths Paramedic Stephen Smith M.D. Source Type: research