Geriatric Pharmacotherapy Case Series: Thiazide-Induced Hypokalemia.

Introduction The patient was a 72-year-old man with a history of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, benign prostatic hyperplasia, and oropharyngeal cancer. His home medications include amlodipine, atorvastatin, hydrochlorothiazide, and tamsulosin. He lives alone and eats a soft, bland, nutrient-poor diet. During his annual primary care visit, he is found to have a serum potassium level of 3.3 mEq/L (reference range 3.5-5.0). Assessment The use of hydrochlorothiazide, a thiazide diuretic, as well as his low consumption of dietary potassium, have likely contributed to his mild, asymptomatic hypokalemia. Outcome The patient's serum potassium normalizes following replenishment with a 10 mEq microencapsulated potassium chloride (KCl) extended release (ER) tablet three times a day with meals for one week. A registered dietitian was consulted to provide recommendations for a well-balanced diet, consistent with his dietary texture needs. Conclusions Hypokalemia is a commonly encountered electrolyte disorder, occurring in about 3 to 4% of community-dwelling elders.1 Though asymptomatic hypokalemia is often an incidental finding, it is associated with an increased risk of major adverse cardiovascular events if left untreated and thus should be promptly corrected when discovered.².

Impaired Absorption of Extended-Release Potassium Chloride in a Patient With a High-Output Ileostomy.

BACKGROUND: Best practices in the management of ileostomies include use of immediate release (IR) medications and elimination of enteric coated and prokinetic agents. Extended-release (ER) potassium chloride is designed for postpyloric release rather than colonic absorption and is postulated to be an appropriate option for potassium repletion in this patient subset. CASE: We present a patient with an ileostomy who received intravenous ER and IR oral potassium chloride supplementation following diverting loop ileostomy. Clinical responsiveness to ER potassium chloride was poor; 15 to 40 mEq was required to replace 0.1 mEq/L of potassium. However, upon transition to IR potassium chloride, only 6.67 mEq was required to replace 0.1 mEq/L of potassium. CONCLUSIONS: Our experience in this case suggests that patients with surgical alterations to their gastrointestinal tracts who fail to have expected rises in serum potassium levels may benefit from early conversion to IR potassium chloride.

Oral Liquid Potassium Chloride Dosing Pathway in a Tertiary Care Veteran Affairs Academic Medical Center.

Hypokalemia, defined as a serum potassium (K) concentration of <3.5 mEq/L, is an electrolyte imbalance commonly found in hospitalized patients. Hypokalemia is associated with potentially severe complications, including arrhythmias, which necessitate careful monitoring and repletion with potassium. In the inpatient setting, serum K may be repleted via intravenous or oral routes, with oral administration preferred. Potassium chloride (KCl) for oral administration is widely available in both immediate as well as an extended release formulations. Immediate release liquid KCl is optimal for inpatient use since it demonstrates rapid absorption and subsequent increase in serum K levels. However, acquisition costs for unit dose oral liquid KCl have prompted some institutions to implement guidance for appropriate use of KCl oral liquid. In this article, we describe the creation of a clinical pathway for ordering of oral immediate release KCl for inpatients at a tertiary Veterans Affairs Academic Medical Center.