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Management Of Hyperkalemia To Prevent Cardiac Arrest, Jennifer Harklerode, Amber Paul, Crystal Zheng, Olivia Vanscoy, Olivia Henton, Mark Olah

Pharmacy and Wellness Review

Hyperkalemia is a metabolic problem that may be life threatening if left untreated. Cardiac arrhythmias may develop with the potential to lead to cardiac arrest and death. Hyperkalemia can oftentimes be undiagnosed due to the lack of clear, specific symptoms and inconclusive variations in electrocardiogram (ECG) readings and lab values. Therefore, it is important to recognize risk factors that can potentially in-crease serum potassium levels. Screening for medications that increase serum potassium levels and educating patients are steps that both inpatient and outpatient health care professionals can take to increase early detection and prevention of a hyperkalemic episode. It is …