Potassium Calculator

Overview

The potassium calculator was designed to enable the safe administration of potassium replacement as in intermittent infusion (often incorrectly called a ‘bolus’) addressing the problems of pain at the intravenous insertion site, risk of extravasation injury, the type of intravenous access (central versus peripheral) and considering the rate and amount of potassium administration from all sources (e.g. TPN, maintenance IV fluid therapy) so as to maintain a safe maximal rate of administration given the patients location and level of monitoring.

At the ACH a potassium intermittent infusion is limited to a 0.2 mmol/L or 200 mmol/L commercially available pre-mixed 100 ml bag (20 mmol KCl), whereby a 1 mmol/kg dose requires a volume load of 5 ml/kg. This Potassium Calculator was designed for the use of treating Pediatric and Neonatal patients.