Lab reference

Potassium

Electrolytes

For education. Check every result.

Anatium is a study resource, not medical advice. Nothing here is a diagnosis, a prescription or a substitute for a clinician who has seen the patient. Check every number against a current local protocol before it touches anyone, and never act on a result you cannot reproduce yourself.

Reference range

Range3.5 to 5 mEq/L

About

Serum potassium. Both extremes are arrhythmic emergencies, and a haemolysed sample is the commonest cause of a falsely high result.

When it is low

Hypokalemia: arrhythmia risk, diuretics, vomiting/diarrhea, alkalosis

When it is high

Hyperkalemia: cardiac arrest risk, renal failure, ACE-I/ARB, acidosis

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