Admission serum potassium concentration and long-term mortality in patients with acute myocardial infarction: results from the MONICA/KORA myocardial infarction registry

Conflicting with clinical practice guidelines, recent studies demonstrated that serum potassium concentrations (SPC) of ≥4.5 mEq/l were associated with increased mortality in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). This study examined the association between SPC and long-term mortality following AMI in patients recruited from a population-based registry. Included in the study were 3347 patients with AMI aged 28-74 years consecutively hospitalized between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2008 and followed up until 31 December 2011. Patients were categorized into five SPC groups (