Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Life-threatening high potassium during anesthesia in a domestic
By R. Felisberto et al.·Published in Veterinary Record Case Reports·2020·View original on Semantic Scholar →
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Original publication title: Life-threatening hyperkalaemia during general anaesthesia in a domestic short-haired cat
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 9-year-old domestic short-haired cat developed dangerously high potassium levels (hyperkalaemia) during surgery to repair a fracture. The cat showed signs of heart issues, including a slow heartbeat and abnormal heart rhythms, which were detected on an ECG. The veterinarian treated the cat with calcium gluconate, insulin, and glucose, which initially helped, but the high potassium levels returned as the cat was waking up from anesthesia. Further treatment was required to manage the condition, and the cat was closely monitored throughout the recovery process.
People also search for: cat surgery heart problems · hyperkalaemia in cats · cat anesthesia risks · domestic short-haired cat surgery recovery
Abstract
There are an increasing number of reports describing the development of hyperkalaemia in healthy veterinary patients during general anaesthesia. While the majority of cases are dogs, it has also been described in large non-domestic cats under general anaesthesia. To the authors’ knowledge, there are no reported cases of acute hyperkalaemia in healthy domestic cats associated with anaesthesia. This case report describes the development of hyperkalaemia in a nine-year-old domestic short-haired cat, anaesthetised for fracture repair. Hyperkalaemia (8.0 mmol/l) was recognised due to the sudden development of bradycardia, spiked T waves, decreased amplitude of P waves, progressing to atrial standstill on the ECG. Initial treatment was with calcium gluconate, insulin and glucose, which resolved the problem, but the hyperkalaemia recurred during recovery from anaesthesia, necessitating further treatment. Possible causes of the hyperkalaemia are discussed.
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Search related cases →Original publication on Semantic Scholar: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/42a80dd5d1758fc4e9bd9920bdb15a4d03e51b7b