Overview

Safety of Continuous Potassium Chloride Infusion in Critical Care

Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2009-10-01
Target enrollment:
0
Participant gender:
All
Summary
Patients in critical care often require supplemental potassium chloride if levels in their blood are below acceptable level. Common practice is to administer a single dose of potassium chloride under controlled conditions via a drip, before checking if a further dose is required. The purpose of this study is to ensure that it is safe to administer potassium chloride continuously with the dose varied according to patient needs.
Phase:
Phase 4
Accepts Healthy Volunteers?
No
Details
Lead Sponsor:
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital
Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:

- Any inpatient on the investigating unit with a serum potassium level of less than
3.8mmol/L

- arterial line for blood sampling and central venous access for infusion administration
in situ

- continuous 12-lead ECG monitoring

Exclusion Criteria:

- Patients with a serum potassium ≥ 3.8mmol/L

- Renal dysfunction with serum creatinine 50% greater than the upper end of the normal
reference range (i.e.: > 180micromol/L) or urine output less than 0.5ml/kg/hr for 6
consecutive hours, or the requirement for dialysis

- Burns

- Hypomagnesaemia (≤ 0.7mmol/L), however patients may be enrolled after the
hypomagnesaemia is corrected