1. Surprising Hyperkalemia of 10.2 mmol/L in a Patient with Hyperglycemia: A Case Report
- Author
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Jan Czogalla, Pischtaz Adel Tariparast, Tobias B. Huber, Matthias Janneck, and Florian Grahammer
- Subjects
hyperkalemia ,hyperglycemia ,diabetes mellitus ,Diseases of the genitourinary system. Urology ,RC870-923 - Abstract
Hyperkalemia is a life-threatening condition potentially leading to cardiac arrest. Here, we report a case of surprising severe hyperkalemia of 10.2 mmol/L in a diabetic patient with previously normal kidney function presenting without discernible clinical symptoms to our emergency department. The patient was admitted because of hyperglycemia of 32.8 mmol/L, which was detected during daily testing in her nursing home. The hyperkalemia was caused by prerenal failure due to hyperglycemic polyuria which led to volume depletion, and worsened by a combination of potassium-sparing drugs and potassium supplementation. The patient was treated conservatively. Eighteen hours later, the serum potassium concentration was 4.6 mmol/L. The patient could be released 6 days later. To our knowledge, this is the highest described hyperkalemia treated conservatively and survived without cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
- Published
- 2021
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