Though I agree that "watchful waiting" is an unappreciated and untaught skill in EMS ( seeing what happens and treating for effect not "to do") I might want to...

Just my opinion, Jon, but it seems to me that a possible accessory pathway is all the more reason to leave the drugs in the drug box and cardiovert if ...

On our annual protocol exam we were faced with a question regarding a patient presenting in apparent hyperkalemia and "some" pulmonary edema.? The correct...

If your paramedics are really trained to the point of making nuanced decisions about bicarb once hyperkalemia is identified as the mechanism responsible for...

Don't be so dramatic. ;-) Just kidding. If they are hyperkalemic and have pulmonary edema then give the bicarb and start CPAP. Nick...

This is very interesting. I am not one to ignore iatrogenic complications. But bicarb works well and works fast and 99% of the hyper k+ I've seen is in...

Need to have CPAP to allow it into the equation? :) ? I thought it was an interesting challenge to understand the protocol... good springboard to education, I...

Bicarb really should have no role in the treatment of hyperkalemia. The massive amount of sodium given with bicarb causes intracellular potassium to move to...

Interesting, so if I understand correctly you are saying bicarb can actually cause hyperkalemia? How does the exchange of H+ ions from the cell for K++ ions in...

There's no question that acidosis causes a shift of potassium from the intracellular space to the extracellular (intravascular) one. Alkalosis causes the...

Hi Phil, First, congratulations on getting through medical school! Second, I am trying to wipe off the dust of my memory banks. I seem to recall reading about...

Hi Nick, Thanks for the congrats (but I did graduate 3 years ago). I haven't seen anything that shows a transient increase in K. If the K is high enough to...

Thank you for your response. I got additional information from the crew that acutally attended to the patient - I am attaching his story. "Here is the story 25...

i still havent been able to see the ecgs with this case someone reported afib and delta wave ie wpw, then got amiodarone, (if this is the same pt) please...