What is a potassium challenge exactly?

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Hello everyone, can someone explain to me what exactly a potassium challenge is? I am new to the hospital setting and have a year and a half under my belt as a nurse mostly in a nursing home/rehab center. I understand what potassium is used for but a couple of nurses have used the term and when I ask what it means they just said that it pretty much means its given via IV over x amount of time. Is this correct or am I just getting a very undetailed answer? Can someone fill me in?

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Emergency, CEN.

Interstitial Cystitis, IC, Potassium Sensitivity Test, PST, KCL Test

This what I found on the topic.

Potassium challenge/ Parson's Test

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if they were talking about iv potassium, i'm not sure the challenge involved includes the patient, if you get my drift. or else it's a local term for "iv potassium replacement." i would guess that it really is what nurseonamotorcycle found, and the nurses you asked were vague because they didn't know either and didn't want to admit it.

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It was the IV postassium, when I asked one nurse she looked at me like I had two heads now I know why. I think you are right about them not knowing. Thanks for the insight.

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