Overview
Introduction
Hypokalemia is a serum potassium concentration below 3.5 mmol/L, the same numeric value commonly reported as 3.5 mEq/L in US laboratories.
Hypokalemia is a serum potassium concentration below 3.5 mEq/L, the same numeric value commonly reported as 3.5 mEq/L in US laboratories. The deficit may come from gastrointestinal or renal loss, inadequate intake, or a temporary shift of potassium into cells. That distinction matters: a patient who needs potassium replacement also needs evaluation of why the level fell. Symptoms range from none at all to generalized weakness, ileus, and life-threatening dysrhythmia. A patient taking a loop diuretic who reports new leg weakness and palpitations needs more than routine comfort care: assess the rhythm, review the potassium and magnesium results, and escalate according to the patient's stability and the ordered plan. The nursing priority is to connect the symptom, the laboratory value, the medication or fluid-loss history, and the ECG before replacement is given.