Table 2.

Clinical outcomes of the study population according to the potassium levels^a.

	Normokalemia (n = 212)	Mild hypokalemia(n = 76)	Severe hypokalemia (n = 18)	p-Valuesb
				p1	p2	p3	p4
Critical outcomes
ICU, %	9.0	30.3	33.3	0.001*	0.800	0.002*	0.001*
IMV, %	6.2	25.0	33.3	0.001*	0.472	0.001*	0.001*
Mortality rate, %	16.2	15.8	16.7	0.977	0.927	0.958	0.959
Length of stay
Length of admission, days	7 (4–11)	11 (8–18)	16.5 (7.0–25.75)	0.000*	0.790	0.004*	0.000*
Length of ICU, days	8 (3.5–13.5)	11 (7–31.5)	15.0 (9.5–36.5)	0.037*	0.493	0.055*	0.018*

ICU, intensive care unit; IMV, invasive mechanical ventilation. Data shown as % or median (interquartile range), unless specified otherwise. *p <  0.05, statistically significant difference.

^aSevere hypokalemia (K⁺ <3 mmol/l), mild hypokalemia (K⁺ 3–3.5 mmol/l), and normokalemia (K⁺ >3.5 mmol/l). Hypokalemia was defined as K⁺ ≤3.5 mmol/l (i.e., severe hypokalemia plus mild hypokalemia).

^bThe Mann–Whitney U-test and Chi-square test were used for group comparisons: p1, mild hypokalemia vs normokalemia; p2, mild hypokalemia vs severe hypokalemia; p3, severe hypokalemia vs normokalemia; p4, hypokalemia vs normokalemia.