Table 2.
Patient characteristics, outcomes, and treatments by potassium level (mEq/L)
| Low (< 3.5) | Normal (3.5–5.0) | Minimal elevation (5.1–5.4) | Moderate elevation (5.5–6.0) | Severe elevation (> 6.0) | P-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % male | 34 | 46 | 58 | 57 | 56 | < 0.001 |
| Mean age (SD) | 48 (21) | 49 (22) | 62 (24) | 61 (26) | 61 (23) | < 0.001 |
| Mean MEWS (SD) | 1.7 (1.7) | 1.4 (1.5) | 2.1 (1.8) | 2.5 (2.1) | 3.1 (2.6) | < 0.001 |
| Diabetes | 11.7 | 15.3 | 40.6 | 44.9 | 41.4 | < 0.001 |
| Chronic kidney disease | 4.7 | 6.2 | 35.1 | 46.9 | 56.5 | < 0.001 |
| Heart failure | 5.7 | 7.3 | 27.5 | 29.0 | 30.9 | < 0.001 |
| Septicemia | 5.8 | 3.3 | 11.2 | 11.2 | 18.8 | < 0.001 |
| % creatinine > 1.5 mg/dL | 6.1 | 5.9 | 39.8 | 57.2 | 73.5 | < 0.001 |
| % glucose > 150 mg/dL | 14.1 | 13.0 | 29.4 | 37.5 | 47.1 | < 0.001 |
| % sodium < 135 mEq/L | 11.3 | 6.3 | 17.6 | 26.0 | 28.8 | < 0.001 |
| % sodium > 145 mEq/L | 2.3 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 3.1 | 4.7 | |
| Outcomes | ||||||
| % admitted | 48 | 39 | 69 | 80 | 86 | < 0.001 |
| % died | 1.9 | 0.8 | 3.9 | 5.5 | 13.6 | < 0.001 |
| Treatments (% of total patients) | ||||||
| Any K+ reducing medication | 3.0 | 4.2 | 11.5 | 36.4 | 77.0 | |
| Salbutamol | 1.6 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 7.1 | 17.8 | |
| NaHCO3 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 1.5 | 8.5 | 29.0 | |
| Insulin | 0.9 | 1.4 | 5.4 | 19.0 | 64.4 | |
| Calcium | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 4.0 | 24.6 | |
| Dialysis | 0.4 | 0.4 | 3.5 | 6.3 | 25.1 | |
| Potassium | 30.7 | 2.8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
SD, standard deviation; MEWS, modified early warning scores.