• Br J Anaesth · Sep 2004

    Case Reports

    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. vmehta1971@hotmail.com
    • Br J Anaesth. 2004 Sep 1;93(3):456-8.

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 We suggest that the initial arterial cannula position caused a high shear rate in the blood when samples were withdrawn, causing haemolysis and hyperkalaemia.

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