Frequency of hypokalemia in pediatric ICU patients with diarrhea and their outcome in a tertiary care pediatric hospital in Lahore, Pakistan.

Objective: To provide comprehensive insight into this issue and determine the frequency of hypokalemia, ultimately offering recommendations for reducing its occurrence among patients suffering from diarrhea. Study Design: Cross sectional study. Setting: Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) of Fatima Memorial Hospital in Lahore. Period: June 25, 2022 to September 24, 2023. Methods: A total of 175 children, encompassing both genders and aged between 1 month to 12 years, who were admitted to the PICU for a minimum duration of 48 hours, were included in the study. The data pertaining to the children's basic demographic information, diagnosis, length of stay, and outcomes were documented on a proforma. The analysis of the data was conducted using SPSS v25, wherein all variables underwent a descriptive analysis. By implementing stratification, we were able to control for potential confounding variables, such as age and gender. Following stratification, Chi-square and Independent t-tests were performed, with a p-value of 0.05 indicating statistical significance. Results: Gender distribution showed that 112(64.0%) were males and 63(36.0%) were females. The mean age of the children was 26.32±32.02 months. The mean serum potassium level was 3.19±0.80 mEq/L. Among 175 children with diarrhea, 110(62.9%) had hypokalemia. According to outcome of children, 33(18.9%) were discharged home, 128(73.1%) discharged to the ward, and 14(8.0%) expired. The mean stay in the PICU was 4.69±3.852 days and the mean stay in the hospital was 5.87±3.729 days. Conclusion: Hypokalemia, a frequently encountered electrolyte disturbance in pediatric patients afflicted with acute bouts of diarrhea, necessitates the utmost vigilance on the part of the attending physician. To avert the potentially dire consequences of severe hypokalemia, it is imperative for healthcare providers to engage in diligent and sequential surveillance of serum potassium levels while concurrently implementing potassium supplementation for affected children amidst episodes of acute diarrhea.