Examination of the serum potassium level and the amount of dialysate potassium removed by dialysate potassium adjustment

Hypokalemia causes muscle weakness and is associated with an increased incidence of sudden cardiac death. As the standard dialysate potassium concentration in Japan is 2 mmol/L, the incidence of hypokalemia might be high after dialysis. We adjust the dialysate potassium concentration to 3 mmol/L as necessary. Therefore, we evaluated the serum potassium level and the amount of dialysate potassium removed after hemodialysis had been performed three times in perioperative patients using a dialysate potassium concentration of 2 mmol/L (dialysate 2) or 3 mmol/L (dialysate 3). Hypokalemia; i.e., a potassium level of