Frequency, Management, and Outcomes of Outpatient Hyperkalemia: A Population-Based Cohort Study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Hyperkalemia is a potentially life-threatening condition, with guidelines recommending urgent treatment when the serum potassium level is greater than 6.0 mmol/L. However, these recommendations are inconsistent, leading to diverse approaches to patient care.

Objectives

The primary objectives were to use population-based datasets to determine how often outpatient hyperkalemia (K > 6.2 mmol/L) occurs and how frequently patients present to the emergency department (ED) within 24 hours of the hyperkalemia report. Secondary objectives were to compare the characteristics of patients who had an ED encounter to those who did not, assess clinical outcomes within 7 days of the hyperkalemia report, and describe the initial potassium result within 24 hours of an ED encounter.

SUBMITTER: Chiu M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12317165 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature