Low dialysis potassium bath is associated with lower mortality in end stage renal disease patients admitted to hospital with severe hyperkalemia
Abstract Background Hyperkalemia is a modifiable risk factor for sudden cardiac death, a leading cause of mortality in hemodialysis patients. The optimal treatment of hyperkalemia in hospitalized end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients is nonexsistent in literature which has prompted studies from outpatient dialysis to be extrapolated to inpatient care. The goal of this study was to determine if low potassium dialysate 1 meq/L is associated with higher mortality in hospitalized ESRD patients with severe hyperkalemia (serum potassium > 6.5 mmol/L). Methods We conducted a retrospective study of all adult ESRD patients admitted with severe hyperkalemia between January 2011- August 2016. Results There were 209 ESRD patients on hemodialysis admitted with severe hyperkalemia during the study period. Mean serum potassium was 7.1 mmol/L. In-hospital mortality or cardiac arrest in ESRD patients with severe hyperkalemia was 12.4%. Median time to dialysis after serum potassium result was 2.0 hours (25, 75 IQR 0.9, 4.2 hours). 47.4% of patients received dialysis with 1mEq/L concentration potassium bath. The use of 1mEq/L potassium bath was associated with significantly lower mortality or cardiac arrest in ESRD patients admitted with severe hyperkalemia (OR 0.27 95% C.I. 0.09-0.80, p = 0.01). Conclusion We conclude that use of 1mEq/L potassium bath for treatment of severe hyperkalemia (>6.5 mmol/L) in hospitalized ESRD patients is associated with decreased in-hospital mortality or cardiac arrest.