Outcome of Potassium disturbances in ICU patients after mechanical ventilation

Potassium disturbances are common, hyperkalemia is less common but hypokalemia is one of the most common electrolyte disorder in hospitalized patients, its prevalence in the ICU according to present findings is unknown, although studies have shown different levels of it.
After ethic committee of Urmia university approval this retrospective cross sectional study was conducted during 2015 in Emam hospital. During this period, clinical records of patients admitted to intensive care unit with mechanical ventilation were studied. Demographic characteristics (age, gender), duration of mechanical ventilation, length of stay in the ICU, medication intake, potassium intake, potassium level of admission time, mortality rate extracted and entered in the questionnaire. After completion of the study results were analyzed with SPSS software version 20 .P In this study, 400 patients were enrolled. The mean age of patients was 57.99±22.57 years old and 69% male and the rest were females. Potassium level of admission time was 4.11±0.72 meq/l. The separation of potassium level in patients showed 15% hypokalemia, 4% hyperkalemic and 81% were normokalemic. 25% of patients intake pulmonary inhaler drugs, 42% had received furosemide and corticosteroids 72.2%. 32.5% of patient intake supplementary potassium and further rate was 87.7 percent. 40% of patients with hypokalemia and 62.5% with hyperkalemia during the study were died, there was significant difference between mortality and mechanical ventilation and intensive care unit length of stay with and without hypokalemia and hyperkalemia versus normokalemia (P The frequency of hypokalemia in patients in our study was 15% and hyperkalemia 4%. and the expected outcomes in patients with hypo and hyperkalemia was statistically significant difference versus normokalemic patients.