Immediate Plasma Potassium Levels in Treating Diabetic Ketoacidosis

Profound Hypokalemia in Diabetic Ketoacidosis: A Therapeutic Challenge

“…The total body potassium deficit in diabetic ketoacidosis can reach 10 mEq/kg (1-3), and it is likely at its maximum in patients with a serum potassium concentration <2.5 mEq/L. In the literature, we found only 3 well-documented cases of diabetic ketoacidosis with associated profound hypokalemia (7,13,14) (Table 2). Young or adolescent patients with diabetic ketoacidosis frequently have an underlying eating disorder or noncompliance with administration of insulin (or both), and severe hypokalemia is likely to be more common in this setting (1,2,15).…”

Performance of the Radiometer OSM3 and ABL505 blood gas analysers for determination of sodium, potassium and haemoglobin concentrations

“…They are meant to produce accurate and reliable results rapidly at the ‘point of care’. Such results have been used to make clinical decisions [3]. In one study, 34% of clinicians who had access to ‘point of care’ testing trusted the results sufficiently to use them to aid management [4].…”