Condition |
Common associated clinical settings |
Acidosis |
Diabetes, diarrhea, drug overdose, renal dysfunction, sepsis, shock |
Anemia |
Gastrointestinal bleeding, nutritional deficiencies, recent trauma |
Cardiac tamponade |
Post-cardiac surgery, malignancy, post-myocardial infarction, pericarditis, trauma |
Hyperkalemia |
Drug overdose, renal dysfunction, hemolysis, excessive potassium intake, rhabdomyolysis, major soft tissue injury, tumor lysis syndrome |
Hypokalemia* |
Alcohol abuse, diabetes mellitus, diuretics, drug overdose, profound gastrointestinal losses |
Hypothermia |
Alcohol intoxication, significant burns, drowning, drug overdose, elder patient, endocrine disease, environmental exposure, spinal cord disease, trauma |
Hypovolemia |
Significant burns, diabetes, gastrointestinal losses, hemorrhage, malignancy, sepsis, trauma |
Hypoxia |
Upper airway obstruction, hypoventilation (CNS dysfunction, neuromuscular disease), pulmonary disease |
Myocardial infarction |
Cardiac arrest |
Poisoning |
History of alcohol or drug abuse, altered mental status, classic toxidrome (eg, sympathomimetic), occupational exposure, psychiatric disease |
Pulmonary embolism |
Immobilized patient, recent surgical procedure (eg, orthopedic), peripartum, risk factors for thromboembolic disease, recent trauma, presentation consistent with acute pulmonary embolism |
Tension pneumothorax |
Central venous catheter, mechanical ventilation, pulmonary disease (eg, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), thoracentesis, thoracic trauma |