Increased serum potassium and intraventricular hemorrhage revisited.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Increased serum potassium and intraventricular hemorrhage occur frequently in preterm infants. OBJECTIVE: To retrospectively analyze data obtained on infants with severe IVH in relation to blood K+ concentrations. METHODS: We identified all patients with severe IVH bom between July 1997 and July 2000. Each patient was pair-matched with a control infant of the same gestational age (+/- 1 week) without IVH in terms of head ultrasound findings on day 5 and whole blood K+ on days 3-5. RESULTS: There were 24 infants in each group. The IVH group had significantly lower 1 minute Apgar scores and pH and higher blood K+ than the control group. Blood pH and K+ were inversely correlated. Stepwise regression analysis, taking into account blood pH and 1 minute Apgar score, showed a correlation only between blood K+ and IVH status. CONCLUSIONS: Severe IVH is significantly associated with higher blood K+ concentrations. A causal relationship cannot be ascertained at this point.