These tools will no longer be maintained as of December 31, 2024. Archived website can be found here. PubMed4Hh GitHub repository can be found here. Contact NLM Customer Service if you have questions.
Pubmed for Handhelds
PUBMED FOR HANDHELDS
Search MEDLINE/PubMed
Title: Hyperkalaemia during massive blood transfusion in paediatric craniofacial surgery. Author: Brown KA, Bissonnette B, MacDonald M, Poon AO. Journal: Can J Anaesth; 1990 May; 37(4 Pt 1):401-8. PubMed ID: 2340608. Abstract: Children undergoing major craniofacial surgery (MCFS) often require transfusion in excess of one blood volume. Therefore they were the subject of a retrospective review which looked at the longitudinal trend of plasma potassium concentration [K+] during surgery. Ten of eleven children had a statistically significant increase in plasma potassium concentration during their intraoperative course and in five the potassium concentration exceeded 5.5 mmol.L-1. This was in contrast to the stable intraoperative plasma [K+] observed in a control group which did not receive blood transfusion. All MCFS children received a blood transfusion with red blood cell concentrates (RBCconc). The age of the units of RBCconc which had been transfused was 16.1 +/- 8.4 days. The amount of extracellular potassium in 28 units of RBCconc was determined in order to estimate the amount of free potassium (Kdose) which the MCFS group received. The plasma [K+] in units of RBCconc less than 1 week of age was less than 20 mmol.L-1, whereas in units aged greater than 2 weeks it was greater than 40 mmol.L-1. The estimated Kdose was 0.2-1.6 mmol.kg-1. We concluded that the amount of extracellular potassium in units of RBCconc was clinically important and may give rise to hyperkalaemia during massive blood transfusion.[Abstract] [Full Text] [Related] [New Search]