Hyperkalemia in CKD and Heart Failure: Strategies for Risk Reduction and Management
This content is a production of Drug Topics; this Pharmacist Video is supported by funding from AstraZeneca. AstraZeneca was not involved in the creation of the content for this Video.
An expert discusses the causes and clinical impact of hyperkalemia in chronic kidney disease and heart failure, evaluates current monitoring and treatment approaches across care settings, and highlights pharmacist-led interventions that integrate hyperkalemia management into comprehensive chronic disease care pathways.
EP. 1: Risk Factors, Epidemiology, and Patient Burden Associated With Hyperkalemia
July 30th 2025An expert discusses the increased prevalence and complexity of hyperkalemia in patients with chronic kidney disease and heart failure, emphasizing how both disease-related factors and common medications contribute to elevated potassium levels, while also highlighting the clinical trade-offs, patient lifestyle burdens, and the need for holistic, patient-centered management approaches.
EP. 2: Exploring the Underdiagnosis of Hyperkalemia
August 6th 2025An expert discusses the often underrecognized nature of hyperkalemia, its silent but dangerous progression in CKD and heart failure patients, the delicate balance required in treatment due to its U-shaped mortality risk, and the pivotal role pharmacists play in monitoring, managing, and mitigating both acute and chronic hyperkalemia-related complications.
EP. 3: Acute and Chronic Management of Hyperkalemia
August 13th 2025An expert discusses the structured approach to acute hyperkalemia management—focusing on cardiac protection, intracellular potassium shifting, and elimination—while emphasizing the chronic challenges in patients with CKD and heart failure, and highlighting the critical role pharmacists play in optimizing long-term therapy, medication safety, and adherence through advanced treatment strategies.
EP. 4: Discussing the Chronic Treatment Options for Hyperkalemia
August 20th 2025An expert discusses the evolving treatment landscape of chronic hyperkalemia, highlighting the clinical advantages of newer potassium binders like patiromer and sodium zirconium cyclosilicate over older agents, and emphasizing the pharmacist’s critical role in selecting and managing these therapies to support continued use of lifesaving medications in high-risk patients.
EP. 5: Examining the Interplay Between Guideline-Directed Medical Therapy and Hyperkalemia
August 27th 2025An expert discusses the critical balance in heart failure GDMT between maximizing lifesaving treatments and managing hyperkalemia risk, highlighting how novel potassium binders and strategic medication choices enable safer continuation and optimization of therapy to improve patient outcomes.
EP. 6: Transitions of Care and Unmet Needs in Hyperkalemia Management
September 3rd 2025An expert discusses the critical risks of care transitions for hyperkalemia patients, emphasizing the pharmacist’s essential role in ensuring medication safety, effective communication, and continuity of care, while highlighting the potential of predictive tools and novel therapies to improve early detection and long-term management.
