Dr. Joyce A. Wahr, M.D. is the first author of a paper recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). The article, “Preoperative Serum Potassium Levels and Perioperative Outcomes in Cardiac Surgery Patients,” appeared in the June 16, 1999 edition of JAMA (vol. 281, no. 23).
Dr. Wahr and researchers from various institutions around the country collected two years’ worth of data from 24 diverse U.S. medical centers. The authors studied serum potassium levels in patients who were having cardiac surgery and subsequently experienced problems such as arrhythmias and death during or following surgery. The researchers’ goal was to find the point at which the level of serum potassium increased the risks for these patients. Dr. Wahr reported an increasing trend for patients with potassium levels below 3.5 mmol/L to develop arrhythmias and require cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) following surgery. Results also revealed that hypokalemia is another, independent cause of perioperative arrhythmias, and may predict the need for CPR.
Dr. Wahr is Associate Professor of Anesthesiology and Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid for the University of Michigan Medical School. This research was conducted by Dr. Wahr, Reginald Parks, MPH, Denis Boisvert, MSc, Mark Comunale, M.D., Judith Fabian, M.D., James Ramsay, M.D., and Dennis T. Mangano, M.D., Ph.D., who are all members of the Multicenter Study of Perioperative Ischemia Research Group. Reprints of the article may be obtained by contacting Dr. Wahr at the Department of Anesthesiology or via e-mail, jwahr@umich.edu.