Ventricular overwork and congestive heart failure are associated with a marked decrease in the potassium content of the affected cardiac muscle, independent of edema.
Observational (n=19)
No
Absolute Event Rate: 0.94% vs 1.31%
In one of the previous studies of this series it was shown that the cardiac and skeletal muscles of patients dying of congestive heart failure were abnormally poor in potassium, Harrison, PMlcher and Ewing (1930). The loss of-potassium from skeletal muscle appeared to be related to edema, as muscles which were not edematous con- tained normal amounts of potassium. Pieces of skeletal muscles removed during life contained less potassium when the patients were edematous than when they were edema free. It appears therefore that the presence of edema is an important cause of the loss of potas- sium in skeletal muscle. The present study was undertaken in an attempt to determine the cause of the loss of potassium from the cardiac muscle.
Calhoun et al. (1930) conducted an observational in Congestive heart failure (n=19). Congestive heart failure and ventricular overwork vs. Control subjects without cardiac or pulmonary disease was evaluated on Potassium content of the dry ventricular muscle. Ventricular overwork and congestive heart failure are associated with a marked decrease in the potassium content of the affected cardiac muscle, independent of edema.