Lowest K Level You've Seen

Aneroo, LPN · Dec 23, 2005

I want to say it was 1.6 but it was another nurses patient.

I've had a patient with a K of 9.1 :uhoh3: First week off of orientation!

VickyRN, MSN, DNP, RN · Dec 23, 2005

1.8 - patient was very adversely affected.

jayne109, RN · Dec 23, 2005

the lowest I have seen is 1.9 and the highest is 10.0

The high one was a baby that had a metabolic syndrome and had a very wide complex QRS almost V-tach looking. the baby was only 10 days old.

southern_rn_brat · Dec 23, 2005

I just had a patient with a 1.7 level. I work in LTC and bless her heart she is just kind of waiting to die. Her daughter has insisted we keep a PICC line in her and give her IV fluids now for months and although you wouldnt think that would keep her alive, it has. So now her daughter is making us do daily labs on her too:o

rehab nurse · Dec 23, 2005

i was 2.3 while 35 weeks pregnant with my daughter, had to get 4 bags of IV K which was way more painful than labor, lol, which was induced two days later due to preeclampsia (spelling?).

i feel for patients who need iv potassium! it burns so badly no matter how slowly the rate is....of course taking those huge horse pills are not any better!

grannynurse FNP student · Dec 25, 2005

The lowest I've seen was 1.2 and it was mine. I was treated in the ER and transferred to a cardiac center in Sarasota. I underwent a dopler and cardiac cath. Never did find out why it was so low. We had no electrcity, following Charlie, and my hypertensive medication had a diuretic(?) in it. And I was sweating a lot. Never had another problem.

Grannynurse

JentheRN05, RN · Dec 25, 2005

I had a patient on Monday who had a K+ of 2.1 and a Na of 112. She was non-responsive, but did open her eyes.

When i went to work last night I peeked in on her. She was sitting up on the bed and talked to me.

What a massive change some electrolytes can do.

burn out · Dec 25, 2005

i had a patient one time with a k of 1.2 ( something like that) upon arrival to the unit he could not move a muscle and went into resp arrest- he did survive. to keep potassium from burning peripheral iv sites we get the doctor to order for 1cc of lidocaine1%.