title: Admission serum potassium level is associated with in-hospital and long-term mortality in ST-elevation myocardial infarction.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Current guidelines recommend a serum potassium (sK) level of 4.0-5.0 mmol/L in acute myocardial infarction patients. Recent trials have demonstrated an increased mortality rate with an sK level of>4.5 mmol/L. The aim of this study was to figure out the relation between admission sK level and in-hospital and long-term mortality and ventricular arrhythmias.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospectively, 611 patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) who underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention were recruited. Admission sK levels were categorized accordingly: <3.5, 3.5-<4, 4-<4.5, 4.5-<5, and ≥5 mmol/L.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The lowest in-hospital and long-term mortality occurred in patients with sK levels of 3.5 to <4 mmol/L. The long-term mortality risk increased for admission sK levels of >4.5 mmol/L [odds ratio (OR), 1.58; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.42-5.9 and OR, 2.27; 95% CI 0.44-11.5 for sK levels of 4.5-<5 mmol/L and ≥5 mmol/L, respectively]. At sK levels <3 mmol/L and ≥5 mmol/L, the incidence of ventricular arrhythmias was higher (p=0.019).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Admission sK level of >4.5 mmol/L was associated with increased long-term mortality in STEMI. A significant relation was found between sK level of <3 mmol/L and ≥5 mmol/L and ventricular arrhythmias.
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Cardiology, Kadirli Government Hospital; Osmaniye-Turkey. uluganyan@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Mahmut
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Uluganyan
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ekmekçi
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Murat
authors.forename: Şahin
authors.initials: Ş
authors.lastname: Avşar
authors.forename: Türker Kemal
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Ulutaş
authors.forename: Hüseyin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Uyarel
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bozbay
authors.forename: Gökhan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Çiçek
authors.forename: Gürkan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Karaca
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Eren
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007008:Hypokalemia / Q000150:complications*; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality*; D011188:Potassium / Q000097:blood*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014421:Turkey
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D011188:Potassium