PREVALENCE AND ASSESSMENT OF LEVEL OF CONSCIOUSNESS AND FUNCTIONAL OUTCOME AMONG HYPOKALEMIC PATIENTS AT A TERTIARY CARE TEACHING HOSPITAL: A PROSPECTIVE STUDY

Abstract

Objective: To study the prevalence, to assess the degree of consciousness and the functional outcome in hypokalemic patients using Glasgow Coma Scale and Glasgow Outcome Scale respectively. Method: A prospective observational study, serum potassium level and other clinical profiles were recorded in a data collection form. GCS and GOS were used to analyse the level of consciousness and the functional outcome of the hypokalemic patients. One sample t test was performed to find the statistical difference between mild, moderate and severe hypokalemia. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used for comparison involving more than two groups (GCS and GOS). The association significance between GCS and GOS was done by Chi square test. Data were analysed using SPSS 22.0 statistical software. Results: During the study period, 286 patients with hypokalemia were enrolled with various causes and symptoms, among which 67.8% patients shown altered level of consciousness with chronic kidney disease as major cause. Management strategies were also studied and the functional outcome were analysed. We couldn’t found any statistical association among GCS and functional outcome of the hypokalemic patients. Conclusion: Prevalence of hypokalemia is more common in elderly and those admitted in ICU. A proper assessment of serum electrolyte levels and degree of consciousness will help reduce the morbidity and mortality among electrolyte imbalance patients.