Association of Initial Potassium Levels with the Type of Stroke in the Emergency Department

Early differentiation of hemorrhagic stroke from ischemic stroke in patients with suspected stroke is essential for subsequent management of the patient. While serum potassium level has been suggested as a marker of acute hemorrhagic conditions,1, 2 little is known about whether the initial serum potassium levels differ based on the type of stroke. If serum potassium levels can help differentiate hemorrhagic stroke from ischemic stroke, this information can be applied in deciding subsequent treatment procedures (e.g., catheter intervention, tissue plasminogen activator administration, and antihypertensive therapy) in settings where imaging tools are not available immediately.

Source: Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases - May 30, 2021 Category: Neurology Authors: Kiyomitsu Fukaguchi, Hiroshi Yamagami, Shoko Soeno, Konan Hara, Toru Shirakawa, Tomohiro Sonoo, Kensuke Nakamura, Tadahiro Goto Source Type: research