Medicine
Management of hyperkalemia in the emergency department
Quick fact
In severe hyperkalemia, giving intravenous calcium can reverse life-threatening ECG changes within minutes, but it does not lower potassium levels—it only protects the heart temporarily.
Why this is interesting
A patient with kidney failure arrives with a dangerously high potassium level—one that could stop their heart at any moment. How do emergency doctors buy time and save the day?