ELECTROLYTE REDISTRIBUTION IN CAT HEART AND SKELETAL MUSCLE IN POTASSIUM POISONING

Abstract

Heart, skeletal muscle, and serum electrolytes and water analyses were made on 23 cats in which the electrocardiograph was used to detect K poisoning after the intraperit. inj. of KCl. Poisoning, as judged from the disappearance of P waves from the electrocardiogram, occurred when the serum K conc. reached 11.0 m. eq./liter, but was detected in some cases at lower cones. if the rate of rise of K was faster than 0.33 m. eq./liter/min. No quantitative relationship could be demonstrated between the amt. of K found in the heart and the appearance of K poisoning, although both the heart and skeletal muscle took up K readily when the plasma conc., was elevated. Normal cat muscle contained 40.1 [plus or minus] 0.7 m. eq./100 g. of fat free dry tissue while the hearts from animals receiving KCl contained from 43 to 54 m. eq./lOO g. The uptake of K by the heart is associated with loss of Na and the appearance of considerable quantities of Cl within the cells.