Dispelling myths and misconceptions about the treatment of acute hyperkalemia.

Hyperkalemia represents a widespread and potentially lethal condition that affects millions of people across their lives. Despite the prevalence and severity of the condition, there are no consensus guidelines on the treatment of hyperkalemia or even a standard definition. Herein, we provide a succinct review of what we believe to be the most significant misconceptions encountered in the emergency care of hyperkalemia, examine current available literature, and discuss practical points on several modalities of hyperkalemia treatment.

Can Prehospital Personnel Accurately Triage Patients for Large Vessel Occlusion Strokes?

Background: The Field Assessment Stroke Triage for Emergency Destination (FAST-ED) score was developed in the hospital setting to be used in the prehospital setting. It has been shown to have higher predictive value than comparable stroke scales, including the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, for identifying large vessel occlusion strokes.

Objective: We sought to determine whether prehospital FAST-ED scores are comparable with FAST-ED scores determined by emergency physicians.