Hyperkalemia in renal failure
NCLEX-RN glossary · Management Of Care
Definition
The life-threatening accumulation of serum potassium due to the kidney's inability to excrete the electrolyte.
Hyperkalemia in renal failure in plain English
Poses an immediate risk for lethal cardiac dysrhythmias; monitoring must be prioritized even if the client appears asymptomatic. A frequent error is delaying a STAT electrocardiogram (ECG) because the client 'feels fine' despite having a critically high potassium level.
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