ABSTRACT
Objective:To survey treatment and prognosis of hyperkalemia patients in the emergency department and to analyze factors associated with all-cause in-hospital mortality.Methods:We implemented electronic hospital information system, extracted demographic characteristics, underlying diseases, laboratory findings, potassium lowering therapy and prognosis of hyperkalemia patients [age ≥ 18 years, serum potassium (K +) concentration ≥ 5.5 mmol/L] in the emergency department of Peking Union hospital in Beijing between June 1st 2019 to May 31st 2020. The enrolled subjects were divided into the non-survival group and the survival group according to their prognosis. Univariate analysis and Cox regression model were adopted to analyze factors affecting all-cause in-hospital mortality of hyperkalemia patients. Results:A total of 579 patients [median age 64 (22) years; 310 men (53.5%) and 269 women (46.5%)] with hyperkalemia were enrolled, among which, 317 (54.7%), 143 (24.7%) and 119 (20.6%) were mild, moderate, and severe hyperkalemia, respectively. 499 (86.20%) patients received potassium-lowering therapy, forty-four treatment regimens were administered. Insulin and glucose (I+G, 61.3%), diuretics (Diu, 57.2%), sodium bicarbonate (SB, 41.9%) and calcium gluconate/chloride (CA, 44.4%) were commonly used for the treatment of hyperkalemiain the emergency department. The combination of insulin and glucose, calcium gluconate/chloride, diuretics and sodium bicarbonate (I+G+CA+Diu+SB) was the most favored combined treatment regimen of hyperkalemia in the emergency department. The higher serum potassium concentration, the higher proportion of administrating combined treatment regimen and/or hemodialysis (HD) (the proportion of administrating combined treatment regimen in mild, moderate, and severe hyperkalemia patients were 58.4%, 82.5% and 94.8%; the proportion of administrating HD in mild, moderate, and severe hyperkalemia patients were 9.7%, 13.3% and 16.0%, respectively). The proportion of achievement of normokalaemia elevated as the kinds of potassium lowering treatment included in the combined treatment regimen increased. The proportion of achievement of normokalaemia was 100% in the combined treatment regimen including 6 kinds of potassium lowering therapy. Among various potassium lowering treatments, HD contributed to the highest rate of achievement of normokalaemia (93.8%). 111 of 579 (19.20%) hyperkalemia patients died in hospital. Cox regression model revealed that complicated with cardiac dysfunction predicted higher mortality [hazard ratio ( HR) = 1.757, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) was 1.155-2.672, P = 0.009]. Achievement of normokalaemia and administration of diuretics attributed to lower mortality ( HR = 0.248, 95% CI was 0.155-0.398, P = 0.000; HR = 0.335, 95% CI was 0.211-0.531, P = 0.000, respectively). Conclusions:Treatment of hyperkalemia in the emergency department were various. Complicated with cardiac dysfunction were associated with higher mortality. Achieving normokalaemia was associated with decreased mortality.
ABSTRACT
Many species of animals contain antimicrobial peptides as components of their immune systems. Many antimicrobial peptides have a broad spectrum of activity not only against gram negative and gram positive bacteria but also against antibiotic resistant bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites. Such peptides can act in synergy with other host molecules to kill pathogens. It has been found that certain peptides have a high affinity for bacterial products, allowing them to modulate the host inflammatory response to sepsis. They have also been found that they have the ability to recruit inflammatory cells. These properties as well as some other functions of antimicrobial peptides enable them to have an important impact in innate immunity.