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Life threatening hyperkalemia treated with prolonged continuous insulin infusion

Hyperkalemia is a life threatening electrolyte imbalance that may be fatal if not treated appropriately. There are multiple medications used to treat hyperkalemia to lower it to a safe level. We report a case of a 4-month old infant with Pseudohypoaldosteronism who had cardiac arrest secondary to se...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Awlad Thani, Saif, Al Farsi, Muzna, Al Omrani, Sara
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre 2019
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6824155/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31700971
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpam.2019.04.001
Descripción
Sumario:Hyperkalemia is a life threatening electrolyte imbalance that may be fatal if not treated appropriately. There are multiple medications used to treat hyperkalemia to lower it to a safe level. We report a case of a 4-month old infant with Pseudohypoaldosteronism who had cardiac arrest secondary to severe hyperkalemia of 12.3mmol/l. It was refractory to anti hyperkalemic medications that necessitated the transfer of the patient to a tertiary hospital for dialysis. The potassium level has dropped gradually to a normal level with continuous insulin infusion and dextrose for almost 12 hours that waved the need of the dialysis. This case highlights the effectiveness of prolonged continuous insulin infusion in treating life-threatening hyperkalemia especially in hospitals where there are no dialysis services available or until the dialysis is initiated.