Arch Intern Med
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There are conflicting recommendations regarding the use of intravenous potassium chloride infusions for acute correction of hypokalemia. We examined the effects of 495 sets of potassium chloride infusions administered to a medical intensive care unit population. The infusion sets consisted of one to eight consecutive individual infusions, each containing 20 mEq of potassium chloride in 100 mL of saline administered. ⋯ The mean increment in serum potassium level per 20-mEq infusion was 0.25 mmol/L. No temporally related life-threatening arrhythmias were noted; however, there were 10 instances of mild hyperkalemia. Our data endorse the relative safety of using concentrated (200-mEq/L) potassium chloride infusions at a rate of 20 mEq/h via central or peripheral vein to correct hypokalemia in patients in the intensive care unit.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
The Hypertension Prevention Trial: three-year effects of dietary changes on blood pressure. Hypertension Prevention Trial Research Group.
A total of 841 healthy men and women aged 25 to 49 years, with diastolic blood pressures of 78 to 89 mm Hg, were randomly assigned to a control treatment group (no dietary counseling) or to one of four dietary counseling treatment groups (reduced calories, reduced sodium, reduced sodium and calories, or reduced sodium and increased potassium). Participants were followed for a 3-year period to assess the effect of dietary changes on blood pressure. After 6 months, counseling had resulted in a net (of control) mean overnight urinary sodium reduction of 13%, a potassium increase of 8%, and a decrease in mean body weight of 7%. ⋯ The largest net reduction in blood pressure occurred in the calorie group: diastolic pressure was 2.8 mm Hg and 1.8 mm Hg and systolic pressure, 5.1 mm Hg and 2.4 mm Hg at 6 months and 3 years, respectively. All four dietary counseling treatment groups experienced fewer hypertensive events; significantly fewer occurred in the sodium groups. The beneficial effects on blood pressure achieved in this trial have implications for the prevention of cardiovascular disease through dietary reduction of calories and sodium.
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To test whether, in patients with chronic dyspnea, a diagnostic approach based on objective confirmation of suspected diagnoses would be superior to one based on clinical impression alone, we prospectively studied 85 patients with a primary complaint of dyspnea seen in a pulmonary subspecialty clinic. We achieved 100% success in determining the causes of dyspnea compared with only 66% accuracy based on clinical impression alone. Four groups of disorders, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, interstitial lung diseases, and cardiomyopathy accounted for two thirds of the cases. ⋯ Chest roentgenogram was most useful for interstitial lung disease, and comprehensive exercise testing for dyspnea due to psychogenic factors or deconditioning. Specific therapy was effective in reducing or eliminating dyspnea in the majority of cases. We conclude that a diagnostic approach to chronic dyspnea based on objective findings and verification, rather than clinical impression alone, will consistently lead to an accurate diagnosis and an improved therapeutic outcome.
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Comment Letter Comparative Study
Use of fiberoptic vs conventional pulmonary artery catheters.