BCEN CEN Practice Question

A potassium level of 3.0 mEq/L indicates hypokalemia. The definitive therapy is potassium replacement. If the patient can take medications orally and is not in imminent danger, oral potassium chloride is preferred because it raises potassium safely and predictably. Intravenous potassium is reserved for more severe or symptomatic cases and requires cardiac monitoring. Simply increasing dietary intake is too slow for acute correction, normal saline would not address the deficit and can dilute serum potassium, and calcium gluconate is used to stabilize the myocardium during hyperkalemia, not hypokalemia.