Kroll, Christian

Background/Purpose Although intravenous (IV) regular insulin has been the main treatment option for management of acute hyperkalemia, our institution utilizes IV insulin lispro as the preferred rapid-acting insulin. Little data currently exists on the safety or efficacy of insulin lispro for this indication. This study aims to evaluate the safety and efficacy of this alternative. Methods This study is a retrospective chart review of adult patients who received IV insulin lispro in an academic medical center Emergency Department (ED) for the treatment of hyperkalemia. The main efficacy and safety outcomes evaluated within 6 hours post-insulin administration were: change in serum potassium concentration and the incidence of hypoglycemia. Results One hundred and thirteen IV insulin lispro administrations were included. For evaluation of efficacy, the mean serum potassium before insulin administration was 6.6 mmol/L. The mean first serum potassium concentration after insulin administration was 5.5 mmol/L, with a serum potassium decrease of 1.1 mmol/L. As for safety, the mean blood glucose before insulin administration was 147.8 mg/dL. The mean first blood glucose after insulin administration was 149.9 mg/dL. Dextrose was co-administered 90.2% of the time. There were a total of 18 hypoglycemic events (15.9%), including 3 events that met the criteria for severe hypoglycemia (2.7%). Conclusion For treatment of hyperkalemia in ED patients, IV insulin lispro appears to be an efficacious alternative to IV insulin regular. However, a further review of its safety profile is warranted.