Open AccessHypokalemic paralysis and acid-base balance
Author(s) -
Ivo Casagranda,
Riccardo Boverio,
Andrea Defrancisci,
Sara Ferrillo,
Francesco Gargiulo
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
emergency care journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2282-2054
pISSN - 1826-9826
DOI - 10.4081/ecj.2006.5.17
Subject(s) - hypokalemia , hypokalemic periodic paralysis , medicine , paralysis , emergency department , etiology , anion gap , pediatrics , metabolic alkalosis , metabolic acidosis , distal renal tubular acidosis , anesthesia , surgery , psychiatry
Three cases of hypokalemic paralysis are reported, presenting to the Emergency Department. The first is a patient with a hypokalemic periodic paralysis with a normal acid-base status, the second is a case of hypokalemic flaccid paralysis of all extremities with a normal anion gap metabolic acidosis, the last is a patient with a hypokalemic distal paralysis of right upper arm with metabolic alkalosis. Afterwards some pathophysiologic principles and the clinical aspects of hypokalemia are discussed and an appropriate approach to do in Emergency Department, to identify the hypokalemic paralysis etiologies in the Emergency Department, is presented, beginning from the evaluation of acid-base status