Hyperkalemia

Hyperkalemia is a word in medicine to refer to a situation where the level of potassium in the blood is too high. Depending on the level of potassium in a person's bloodstream, it can be a medical emergency. A level that is too high can lead to abnormal hearth rhythms.

Hyperkalemia
Other names	Hyperkalaemia
Electrocardiography showing precordial leads in hyperkalemia.
Pronunciation	/ˌhaɪpərkeɪˈliːmiə/
Medical specialty	Critical care medicine and nephrology
Symptoms	Palpitations, muscle pain, muscle weakness, numbness[1][2]
Complications	Cardiac arrest[1][3]
Causes	Kidney failure, hypoaldosteronism, rhabdomyolysis and certain medications[1]
Diagnostic method	Blood potassium > 5.5 mmol/L, electrocardiogram[3][4]
Differential diagnosis	Pseudohyperkalemia[1][2]
Treatment	Medications, hemodialysis and low potassium diet[1]
Medication	Calcium gluconate, dextrose, with insulin, salbutamol and sodium bicarbonate[1][3][5]
Frequency	2%[2]

Causes

Many medications can cause hyperkalemia, and it is much more likely to occur in people kidney problems. Although hyperkalemia often does not cause symptoms, doctors worry about hyperkalemia because it can cause a sudden change of heart rhythm in those who had not been having any symptoms. These abnormal heart rhythms can be deadly.

Death penalty

In cases where death penalty is carried out with lethal injection, a hyperkalemia may be provoked artificially. Some of the mixtures used in the injections contain potassium chloride which will raise the level of potassium in a person's bloodstream considerably.