Help understanding reason for meds

[<3_RN]

Hi, I'm a fairly new nurse on a telemetry floor. I am not sure at the reasoning for some medications administered to a newly admitted pt.

The pt was ad,tired from ER for palpitations, sob, nausea, C/P.

Hx: afib, HTN, no hx of DM.

Labs: K+ 5.4, no other abnormal labs

Meds given in ED:

"Hyperkalemia cocktail"

Potassium chloride

Insulin 10units

Amp. D50

It was end of shift and my CN was already gone and the RN I asked for clarification with had no idea at the seeming counter productive med treatment. I go back tomorrow but was hoping someone could give me some clues. I'm not sure what I'm missing and of courses I feel like an idiot not beginning to see the sense of this.

Thanks for your time.

Kim

[flymedicRN24, BSN, MSN, EMT-P, APRN]

Calcium Cloride is given to raise the action potentional threshold to help prevent Vfib

[delphine22]

What everyone else said about the cocktail.

I know you didn't give this treatment, you just heard about it thirdhand, but this is a very important lesson for a new grad.

ALWAYS better to question and feel stupid (though no one thinks you are) then ignore something that doesn't seem right.

You obviously realized that it doesn't make sense to give potassium to someone who's hyperkalemic, even if you didn't immediately understand the mechanism behind the insulin/D50.

If a doctor gives you that order, speak up. "I'm sorry, did you mean to give potassium for the hyperkalemia?" Doctors are not perfect, and they often misspeak, and blind adherence to what you hear does not protect you from a bad outcome.

Don't be afraid to speak up!