Life-threatening hyperkalaemia following therapeutic barbiturate XXXX .

@entity1 @entity131 @entity510 @entity772 @entity4490 @entity972 @entity2553
OBJECTIVE: To report the occurrence of life-threatening hyperkalaemia following treatment with therapeutic @entity4490 @entity772 . SETTING: The neurosurgical intensive care units of Royal North Shore Hospital and Liverpool Hospital, Sydney, Australia. @entity1 : Three @entity1 treated with theraputic @entity4490 @entity772 . One @entity1 with raised intracranial pressure secondary to a severe @entity131 and two @entity1 with refractory @entity2553 secondary to @entity510 . Two of the three @entity1 developed hypokalaemia on starting @entity4490 , which was resistant to @entity972 supplementation. All three @entity1 developed severe hyperkalaemia during the recovery phase of @entity772 . This was life-threatening in all three @entity1 and fatal in one. CONCLUSIONS: Severe hypokalaemia refractory to @entity972 therapy may occur during therapeutic @entity4490 @entity772 . Severe rebound hyperkalaemia may occur after cessation of @entity4490 infusion. Protocols for the management of @entity1 with therapeutic barbiturate @entity772 should recognise this potentially serious complication.
