Potassium supplements may lower risk after heart surgery

• A new study has shown that a lower threshold for potassium supplementation after cardiac surgery saves patient costs and does not create any further risks of atrial fibrillation or other dysrhythmias.
• Atrial fibrillation is the most common clinical arrhythmia worldwide, and nearly one-third of people who undergo cardiac surgery experience it.
• Potassium, along with other electrolytes, plays an important role in cardiac health.

It’s common practice for patients to receive intravenous potassium supplementation after any form of heart surgery if their potassium levels drop below 4.5 mEq/L (Milliequivalents per liter). However, a new study, published in JAMA Network, suggests that potassium supplementation only at levels below 3.6 mEq/L is non-inferior to standard practice as a way to lower the risk of atrial fibrillation (AFib) after surgery.

Nearly one-third of people who undergo the estimated 1.5 million cardiac surgeries a year worldwide experience atrial fibrillation, which is the most common clinical arrhythmia worldwide. Estimates suggest that it affects up to 3% of the Western population ages 20 years or older.

The risk of AFib increases with age, but it can sometimes occur among young people. People with AFib may have a much faster heart rate than usual, and the heart does not pump blood around the body efficiently. Blood may collect or pool in the heart, increasing the likelihood of clots.

There are four chambers in the heart — two atria and two ventricles — and atrial fibrillation occurs when those chambers don’t function properly due to abnormal electrical activity, which causes the atria and ventricles to contract at different speeds.

Advanced age, high blood pressure, hyperthyroidism, diabetes, binge drinking, and a history of underlying heart disease are all factors that can contribute to the development of atrial fibrillation. However, it is the most frequent postoperative adverse event, and according to the authors of the new study, it can lead to…