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Hyperkalemia is a commonly encountered electrolyte disorder in clinical practice. Severe hyperkalemia can lead to life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias and death. In patients with cardiovascular and chronic kidney disease, it is a major limiting factor for the use of medications that work by blocking the renin angiotensin aldosterone system. Recently, three randomised-controlled trials have been published on novel medications that may be of benefit in patients who are considered high risk for hyperkalemia. In the future, the use of these novel agents may potentially allow safer renin angiotensin aldosterone system blockade. In this review, we discuss these emerging therapies, as well as a pragmatic approach to the management of hyperkalemia in the cardiovascular disease patient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An abstract of the article "Statin Therapy Is Associated With Decreased Hospital Mortality in Patients With Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock" by Anil Paturi, Arun Subramanian and colleagues is presented.