Hyperkalemia is the medical term for high potassium levels in the bloodstream. Potassium is an electrolyte, an electrically charged element important in body functions, including muscle contraction and nervous system signaling. The potassium concentration in the bloodstream is usually low, as the majority of the body's potassium is inside the cells. Changes in the level of potassium in the blood like hyperkalemia can have serious health effects. Intravenous calcium chloride is one of the medicines used in patients with hyperkalemia who develop arrhythmias.
Causes
Hyperkalemia is usually related to renal disease, as the kidneys are the organs in charge of removing excess potassium from the bloodstream. According to Medline Plus, the most common causes of hyperkalemia are acute and chronic renal failure; glomerulonephritis, an inflammation of the glomeruli, the microscopic structures that help the kidneys filter toxic substances from the blood; and obstructive uropathy, in which the flow of urine is interrupted, for example from a kidney stone.
Symptoms
The symptoms of hyperkalemia include muscle fatigue and weakness, paralysis, nausea, and arrhythmias, or abnormal heart rhythms. An electrocardiogram usually detects arrhythmias, and you may feel skipped beats and shortness of breath before you have taken the test.
Calcium Chloride
Hyperkalemia causes abnormal changes in the electrical activity of the heart, disposing it to potentially fatal arrhythmias. Intravenous calcium chloride is the treatment of choice to protect the heart from the effects of hyperkalemia. It helps stabilize the electrical activity of the heart muscle, decreasing the probability of arrhythmias. Calcium chloride has a higher concentration of calcium than other intravenous formulations, so doctors only administer it through a central line, a venous catheter placed within the larger veins of the body.
Other Treatments
The treatment of hyperkalemia has two goals: protecting the heart and lowering the concentration of potassium in the bloodstream. Other drugs used to lower the potassium level include a resin that binds potassium from the stomach, preventing its absorption; and substances like insulin and bicarbonate, which drive potassium back into the cells.
Member Comments