الفهرس 
review of literatureOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Potassium is one of the important electrolytes that affecting the body homeostasis. It is a main player in endless biological processes that are responsible for optimal integrity of CNS, GIT, urinary tract, and cardiovascular system. Hypokalaemia (serum potassium < 3.5mEq/L) is reported in more than 20% of hospitalized patients. Transcellular shift or potassium depletion are the etiological factors of hypokalaemia.Potassium depletion is the most common cause of hypokalaemia. Inadequate intake and increased potassium losses are the etiological causes.Hyperkalaemia (serum potassium >5.5mEq/L) is reported in 1.4-10% of hospitalized patients. Exclusion of pseudohyperkalaemia is a must for further diagnosis of the etiology of hyperkalaemia. If plasma and serum levels of potassium differ by more than 0.3mEq/L, pseudohyperkalaemia should be diagnosed.Increased potassium load, transcellular shift, and decreased potassium excretion are the main causes of true hyperkalaemia.Posttraumatic stress response, as a corner-stone element, could explain the posttraumatic hypokalaemia. After stimulation, hormonal and inflammatory (cytokines and acute phase proteins) mediators affect the internal metabolism universally all over the body. The net result, indeed, is the transcellular shift of potassium and hypokalaemia. For a long time, presence of hypokalaemia was thought to be a deleterious perioperative factor that necessitates the postponing of the surgical procedures till correction of the serum potassium level. Available data now suggest that the severity of perioperative cardiac complications depend on many factors such as recent myocardial infarction, congestive heart faliure, aortic stenosis, age, and general condition. Previous studies failed to find a relation between preoperative hypokalaemia and intraoperative ventricular ectopy. Moreover, other clinical studies reported that frequent and complex ventricular ectopics are common among patients with heart disease taking cardiac medications (e.g. digoxin) . All these data do not recommend the usual postponing of the operation to correct potassium level.