Circling The Drain
She spoke little English. But with a heart rate around 40 and a B/P in the 50’s, I’m surprised she was awake. Her potassium was critical. The normal range is 3.5 to 5. Hers was nearly 7. Hyperkalemia is a silent killer. It usually comes from kidney failure, but she had no history of it. Nurses frantically did what they could to keep her alive. I was taking her some place bigger. A place where…