Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34248167›Full record

ArticleThe Canadian journal of hospital pharmacy2021

Treatment of Mild Hyperkalemia in Hospitalized Patients: An Unnecessary Practice?

Tracy A Freeze, Leanne Skerry, Emily Kervin, Rosemary Nunn, Jennifer Woodland, Natasha Hanson, Martin MacKinnon

Open access · bronzeAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The Canadian journal of hospital pharmacy, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
0.1field-weighted citation impact, top 49% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 2 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. The burden of hyperkalaemia on hospital healthcare resources.Clinical and experimental medicine · 2024
    Observational
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Tracy A Freeze, PhD, is with Horizon Health Network, Saint John Regional Hospital, Saint John, New Brunswick.
Leanne Skerry, MA, is with Horizon Health Network, Saint John Regional Hospital, Saint John, New Brunswick.
Emily Kervin, MA, is with Horizon Health Network, Saint John Regional Hospital, Saint John, New Brunswick.
Rosemary Nunn, BN, RN, is with Saint John Regional Hospital, Saint John, New Brunswick.
Jennifer Woodland, PhD, is with Horizon Health Network, Saint John Regional Hospital, Saint John, New Brunswick.
Natasha Hanson, PhD, is with Horizon Health Network, Saint John Regional Hospital, Saint John, New Brunswick.
Martin MacKinnon, MD, FRCPC, is with the Department of Nephrology, Horizon Health Network, New Brunswick, and the Department of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Saint John Regional Hospital · CAHorizon Health Network · CADalhousie University · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSodium polystyrene sulfonate (SPS) is one of the most commonly used treatments for mild hyperkalemia. Other treatments include insulin, sodium bicarbonate, and salbutamol, which may be given alone or in combination. The results of research examining treatment effectiveness for mild hyperkalemia (e.g., the ability of SPS to achieve normokalemia) thus far have been inconsistent. Given that the effectiveness of treatment for mild hyperkalemia is debatable, new research is needed.

objectiveTo determine whether treatment of hospitalized patients with mild hyperkalemia (using SPS or another approach, relative to no treatment) was associated with achievement of normokalemia (serum potassium < 5.1 mmol/L).

methodsFor this retrospective, quasi-experimental study, hospitalized patients with index serum potassium level between 5.1 and 6.4 mmol/L were identified. Post-index serum potassium level within 24 hours was dichotomized (< 5.1 or ≥ 5.1 mmol/L). Pre-index serum creatinine and serum potassium levels were recorded as the average of the first 5 values immediately before the index potassium value. For each patient, treatment was categorized as no treatment, SPS treatment, or other treatment strategy.

resultsAmong the 1944 patients included in the analysis, the average age was 66.8 (standard deviation 13.5) years; 605 (31.1%) of the patients were women and 1339 (68.9%) were men. Logistic regression results indicated that patients who were female and/or had higher pre-index serum potassium were less likely to return to normokalemia within 24 hours after the time of the index serum potassium value. Treatment category was not a statistically significant predictor of the achievement of normokalemia. Most patients with mild hyperkalemia (> 74.5% in each treatment category) achieved normokalemia, whether or not they received treatment.

conclusionsThe findings of this study suggest that although follow-up is required for mild hyperkalemia in hospitalized patients, active treatment may be unnecessary.

Indexed as

creatininehyperkalemiapolystyrenespotassiumtreatment outcome

Identifiers

PMID34248167
PMCPMC8237950
OpenAlexW3179191887

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.