Potassium levels and Vital Signs

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I understand that the first vital sign you should check for in a person who is HYPOkalemic is the respirations (because hypokalemia causes weakness in the muscle for breathing)....but why must you check the pulse in someone who is HYPERkalemic first? Please explain. If I'm wrong, please correct me. Thanks.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Transplant, Education.
I understand that the first vital sign you should check for in a person who is HYPOkalemic is the respirations (because hypokalemia causes weakness in the muscle for breathing)....but why must you check the pulse in someone who is HYPERkalemic first? Please explain. If I'm wrong, please correct me. Thanks.

Hyperkalemia can cause EKG Changes (tall, peaked T waves) and dysrhythmias, as well as cardiac arrest. Therefore, checking an apical pulse would be useful. Hope this helps.

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I understand that the first vital sign you should check for in a person who is HYPOkalemic is the respirations (because hypokalemia causes weakness in the muscle for breathing)....but why must you check the pulse in someone who is HYPERkalemic first? Please explain. If I'm wrong, please correct me. Thanks.

I am assuming you are a nursing student, correct me if I am wrong. Lets think this one through. If hypokalemia causes weakness in muscles what would hyperkalemia affect? Potassium affect the muscles no matter if it is HYPO or HYPER. It is just a matter of HOW it affects the muscles. Also think about what the MOST life threating s/s would be for each - both affect the heart.

Hope this helps, I don't want to give all to you on a platter because I always learned better when I really thought it through (I still need too, I'm still a new nurse!) and made sure that it all made sense. Check all of your textbooks on the subject and search the web. Learning fluids and electrolytes sucks! But, you will be able to do it!

and don't forget to come back and ask util you understand it!

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Specializes in Emergency.
I am assuming you are a nursing student, correct me if I am wrong. Lets think this one through. If hypokalemia causes weakness in muscles what would hyperkalemia affect? Potassium affect the muscles no matter if it is HYPO or HYPER. It is just a matter of HOW it affects the muscles. Also think about what the MOST life threating s/s would be for each - both affect the heart.

Hope this helps, I don't want to give all to you on a platter because I always learned better when I really thought it through (I still need too, I'm still a new nurse!) and made sure that it all made sense. Check all of your textbooks on the subject and search the web. Learning fluids and electrolytes sucks! But, you will be able to do it!

and don't forget to come back and ask util you understand it!

Im learning this right now....I am gonna take a guess, is it a freeze up of muscles or heart? The heart would shut down would it not?

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

Extreme hyperkalemia causes heart block. Potassium is the drug they give condemned prisoners to stop their heart and kill them during the lethal injection at their executions.

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thank you so much! i found the answer to my own question. I do remember about the heart block with potassium. I guess I had a brain freeze. =)

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To really understand the effects of hyperkalemia on the heart, we need to understand the basic principles of the action potential and movement of intracellular and extracellular ions.

Normally, most of the potassium in the human body will live within the cell, while sodium lives outside of the cell. During an action potential, channels open and sodium rushes in with it's gradient while potassium rushes out with it's gradient. Following the action potential, the ions are pumped in and out against their gradients. This is also known as repolarization. Kind like resetting and preparing for another action potential.

The true danger with hyperkalemia is related to the fact that high levels of potassium prevent proper repolarization of the cell. This makes sense when we look at the profound T wave changes associated with hyperkalemia. (T wave represents a significant portion of cardiac repolarization.)

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Im learning this right now....I am gonna take a guess, is it a freeze up of muscles or heart? The heart would shut down would it not?

The heart is the most important muscle in our body.:heartbeat

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