Calcium Treatments for Hyperkalemia

Hyperkalemia is caused by too much potassium in the blood. It can be life threatening because it affects heart function, and if untreated it can cause the heart to stop. Because potassium also affects the nervous system and muscle function, too much can cause nausea, fatigue, muscle weakness or paralysis, or tingling sensations, usually in the extremities. Calcium can be used as an initial treatment upon diagnosis to soothe the heart muscle and keep it from becoming arrhythmic.

Function

Calcium treatment of hyperkalemia doesn't reduce levels of potassium in the blood. Rather, it treats some of the dangerous symptoms caused by the condition by helping stabilize the cellular membranes. Calcium treatment must be followed up by treatments such as dialysis or insulin to reduce the potassium levels and promote the movement of potassium through the cells.

Time Frame

Calcium should be administered as the initial treatment for acute hyperkalemia. It starts to have an effect within 1 to 3 minutes, and the effects can last up to 60 minutes. This gives a little time for treatment to begin lowering the blood potassium levels to be administered. Usually, calcium treatment is followed by insulin, which stimulates the passage of potassium into the cells. This takes about 10 to 20 minutes to have an effect. Care must be taken to monitor the blood sugar levels so that hypoglycemia doesn't result. Some findings suggest that albuterol may work with insulin to stimulate the Na-K ATPase pump.

Types

According to an article by Walter A. Parhan, calcium gluconate is the preferred type of intravenous calcium treatment. Calcium chloride is an alternative but must be used carefully because of higher risk of calcium toxicity.

Considerations

Calcium is an acute treatment for hyperkalemia and should be followed up with long-term treatment that addresses the causes for increased potassium levels in the blood. This may be due to reduced kidney function, or a change in diet. 'Low-salt' products often use potassium chloride as an alternative to sodium chloride; these should be avoided. Foods with high potassium content such as bananas, avocados, broccoli, soybeans, garlic or apricots should be eaten sparingly, if at all.

Warning

The use of calcium to treat hyperkalemia should be closely monitored. Calcium toxicity is a danger as well, and it can have a negative effect on patients using digitalis derivatives to treat heart problems.