The development of life-threatening hyperkalemia poses a risk for patients with chronic
preterminal renal failure. Various therapeutic options have been suggested for hyperkalemic
emergencies in these patients; to date, however, no study has evaluated the relative
efficacies of these measures in the presence of renal failure. Our goal was to examine
the acute effects of a variety of therapeutic approaches, as well as those of hemodialysis,
on plasma potassium levels in a hemodialysis population.
Ten patients with terminal renal failure undergoing maintenance hemodialysis were
enrolled in the study. Blood gas parameters and plasma sodium, potassium, glucose,
osmolality, renin, aldosterone, epinephrine, norepinephrine, dopamine, and insulin
were measured before, during, and after 60-minute infusions of bicarbonate, epinephrine,
and insulin in glucose, and before, during, and after performance of regular hemodialysis
for one hour.
Hypertonic as well as isotonic intravenous bicarbonate (2 to 4 mmol/minute) induced
a marked rise in plasma bicarbonate and pH, but failed to lower the plasma potassium
level (5.66 versus 5.83 mmol/liter before and after). Epinephrine, 0.05 microgram/kg/minute
administered intravenously, decreased plasma potassium only slightly from 5.57 to
5.25 mmol/liter, and five patients showed no decline. On the other hand, insulin in
glucose, 5 mU/kg/minute intravenously, effectively lowered plasma potassium levels
from 5.62 to 4.70 mmol/liter, and hemodialysis induced the most rapid decline from
5.63 to 4.29 mmol/liter. Plasma aldosterone was elevated before treatment; it correlated
with plasma potassium and dropped during intravenous bicarbonate administration or
hemodialysis. Pretreatment plasma renin activity, insulin, epinephrine, norepinephrine,
and dopamine levels were generally normal.
We conclude that in patients with terminal renal failure undergoing maintenance hemodialysis,
intravenous bicarbonate is ineffective in lowering plasma potassium rapidly, and epinephrine
is effective in only half the patients, whereas insulin in glucose is a fast and reliable
form of therapy for hyperkalemic emergencies. Plasma aldosterone levels are appropriate
in relationship to plasma potassium levels, and levels of other potassium-influencing
hormones are generally normal.