Association of hypokalemia with severe arrhythmias in patients with acute myocardial infarction

Abstract EN

Background : Clinical and animal studies suggest that the ischemic heart can be particularly vulnerable to hypokalemia leading to the cardiac arrhythmia.

Objective : To evaluate the association of severe arrhythmia with hypokalemia in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

Design : Retrospective study.

Setting : Coronary Care Unit, Salmaniya Medical Complex.

Method : Two hundred and seventy-four patients with AMI had serum potassium levels measured on admission along with other cardiovascular risk factors.

Result : Serum potassium concentrations were significantly decreased with the severity of arrhythmias (no arrhythmias ; 4.2 ± 0.80 mmol / l, supra-ventricular ; 3.8 ± 0.9 mmol / l, and ventricular arrhythmias ; 3.3 ± 0.5 mmol / l, p = 0.0001).

The risks of supra-ventricular and ventricular arrhythmias were significantly increased by 2.4 and 8.3 fold, respectively in patients with serum potassium levels at the lowest quartile (< 3.5 mmol / l) compared with the highest quartile of serum potassium when adjusted for other risk factors.

Conclusion : The results of this study suggest that hypokalemia is independently associated with the severity of arrhythmias in patients with AMI.