Skip Navigation


BJA Advance Access originally published online on June 11, 2004
British Journal of Anaesthesia 2004 93(3):456-458; doi:10.1093/bja/aeh199
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
93/3/456    most recent
aeh199v1
Right arrow E-Letters: Submit a response to the article
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when E-letters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (1)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Mehta, V.
Right arrow Articles by Ahmed, Z.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Mehta, V.
Right arrow Articles by Ahmed, Z.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?


© 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 We suggest that the initial arterial cannula position caused a high shear rate in the blood when samples were withdrawn, causing haemolysis and hyperkalaemia.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer:
Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.