Study suggests early intervention in hyperkalemia can cut mortality by half

A new study has suggested that correcting high potassium levels immediately in patients suffering from hyperkalemia can cut the mortality rate in the population by half.

The study was published in the journal called American Journal of Emergency Medicine

In the study, researchers reviewed around 115000 patients and found that the mortality rate was significantly reduced in such patients.

"Because of the increasing risk of hyperkalemia in this population, it is important, as our study showed, to develop protocols that help quickly identify and correct hyperkalemia while the patient is still in the emergency department," said Dr Singer.

Tens of thousands of patients that suffer from diseases like heart failure, diabetes, renal failure, and hypertension have higher risks of developing hyperkalemia.

In the future, many therapies that would be deduced to treat these conditions might also contain high potassium levels.