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BJA Advance Access originally published online on June 11, 2004
British Journal of Anaesthesia 2004 93(3):456-458; doi:10.1093/bja/aeh199
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© The Board of Management and Trustees of the British Journal of Anaesthesia 2004

CASE REPORT

Apparent hyperkalaemia from blood sampled from an arterial cannula

V. Mehta* and Z. Ahmed

Boyle Department of Anaesthesia, St Bartholomew Hospital, West Smithfield, London EC1A 7BE, UK

* Corresponding author. E-mail: vmehta1971{at}hotmail.com

Blood samples were obtained from a radial artery cannula in a 60-yr-old man during coronary artery surgery. Serum potassium concentrations of 9.3, 8.4, and 7.4 mmol litre–1 were obtained. A simultaneous venous blood sample gave a serum potassium concentration of 4.4 mmol litre–1. The ECG was unchanged. After the arterial cannula was repositioned, subsequent blood samples gave expected ranges of serum potassium concentration. We suggest that the initial arterial cannula position caused a high shear rate in the blood when samples were withdrawn, causing haemolysis and hyperkalaemia.


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