Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat developed high potassium after potassium chloride IV treatment
By Dhein, C R & Wardrop, K J·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·1995·Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Hyperkalemia associated with potassium chloride administration in a cat.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A cat developed high potassium levels (hyperkalemia) after receiving a potassium chloride solution mixed with intravenous fluids. The issue arose because the potassium chloride wasn't mixed properly in the fluid, leading to concentrated doses being delivered. This situation can be dangerous, as high potassium levels can affect heart function. It's important for veterinarians to ensure that potassium chloride is thoroughly mixed in fluids before administration to avoid this problem.
People also search for: cat high potassium levels · potassium chloride cat treatment · cat intravenous fluid administration risks
Abstract
Addition of appropriate amounts of potassium chloride solution to fluid administered i.v. resulted in hyperkalemia in a cat. To evaluate whether incomplete mixing of potassium chloride in the fluid might have resulted in the observed hyperkalemia, 40 mEq (20 ml) of potassium chloride solution was injected into each of three 1-L vinyl bags of 5% dextrose in water, with or without attempting to mix the additive with the fluid in the bag. Measurement of potassium concentrations in the bags revealed that injecting potassium chloride solution into a bag of fluid while that fluid is being administered can result in incomplete mixing and discharge of concentrated potassium chloride from the administration set. The greatest potassium concentration measured in fluid sampled from the administration set was 194 mEq/L.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7775234/