Hyperkalemia accompanies hemorrhagic shock and correlates with mortality

• Main Authors: Joel Avancini Rocha Filho, Ricardo Souza Nani, Luiz Augusto Carneiro D'Albuquerque, Carla Augusto Holms, João Plínio Souza Rocha, Luís Marcelo Sá Malbouisson, Marcel Cerqueira César Machado, Maria José Carvalho Carmona, José Otávio Costa Auler Júnior
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Faculdade de Medicina / USP 2009-06-01
• Series: Clinics
• Subjects: Hemorrhagic Shock; Hyperkalemia; Cardiac Arrest; Mortality; Trauma
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1807-59322009000600016
• ISSN: 1807-5932; 1980-5322

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to evaluate the effects of terlipressin versus fluid resuscitation with normal saline, hypertonic saline or hypertonic-hyperoncotic hydroxyethyl starch, on hemodynamics, metabolics, blood loss and short-term survival in hemorrhagic shock. METHOD: Twenty-nine pigs were subjected to severe liver injury and treated 30 min later with either: (1) 2 mg terlipressin in a bolus, (2) placebo-treated controls, (3) 4 mL/kg 7.5% hypertonic NaCl, (4) 4 mL/kg 7.2% hypertonic-hyperoncotic hydroxyethyl starch 200/0.5, or (5) normal saline at three times lost blood volume. RESULTS: The overall mortality rate was 69%. Blood loss was significantly higher in the hypertonic-hyperoncotic hydroxyethyl starch and normal saline groups than in the terlipressin, hypertonic NaCl and placebo-treated controls groups (p<0.005). Hyperkalemia (K>5 mmol/L) before any treatment occurred in 66% of the patients (80% among non-survivors vs. 22% among survivors, p=0.019). Post-resuscitation hyperkalemia occurred in 86.66% of non-survivors vs. 0% of survivors (p<0.001). Hyperkalemia was the first sign of an unsuccessful outcome for the usual resuscitative procedure and was not related to arterial acidemia. Successfully resuscitated animals showed a significant decrease in serum potassium levels relative to the baseline value. CONCLUSION: Hyperkalemia accompanies hemorrhagic shock and, in addition to providing an early sign of the acute ischemic insult severity, may be responsible for cardiac arrest related to hemorrhagic shock.