Limitations of our study include the lack of
random assignment of patients and data collection
for a single site. However, because of the physical
and financial benefit to patients and the decrease
in workload for health care providers, preemptive
administration of potassium to prevent episodes of
hypokalemia should be considered for patients
admitted to critical care areas who require intravenous
fluid at a rate of 75 mL/h or greater. Further
studies with a prospective design and random assignment
to allow for the generalizability of the results
are needed. Such studies may indicate a need toupdate protocols to include provisions for preemptive
administration for patients with high maintenance
intravenous rates.