HYPOKALEMIA IN PATIENTS WITH ACUTE MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION

Abstract

Objective: To determine the frequency of hypokalemia in newly diagnosedpatients with acute myocardial infarction. Methodology: This cross sectional study was carried out in the Department ofCardiology, Hayatabad Medical Complex, Peshawar from February 1st to July 31,2018. Patients of acute myocardial infarction (MI) with age of 40-90 years wereincluded in the study consecutively and serum potassium level was measured.Patients wee admitted and treated according to protocol . Blood was analyzed bysingle pathologist. Data was analyzed by SPSS 10. Results: In this study 197 patients were included, 55.3% males and 44.7%females. Mean age of the patients was 59.5 ± 9.5 years. Serum potassium levelranged from 2.5 to 5.5 mmol/L and mean serum potassium level was 4.0 + 0.3mmol/L. Hypokalemia was recorded in 10.2% of patients. Conclusion: Hypokalemia is not uncommon in patients with acute MI. Furtherstudies are recommended on identifying its risk factors and short/long termoutcomes before drawing future recommendations. Key Words: Myocardial infarction, Potassium, Hypokalemia, Arrhythmias