Potassium sweet spot could lower heart failure risk, but Thai doctors urge careful, monitor-heavy adoption
A new clinical trial suggests there may be a precise potassium target that helps high-risk heart patients avoid dangerous rhythm problems and hospitalization, but only if clinicians can safely manage a delicate balance. In a 3.3-year study of about 1,200 people with implanted cardioverter defibrillators, those kept at high-normal potassium levels fared better overall than those not targeted for potassium. The key message from the trial is both hopeful and cautious: boosting potassium within a narrow range might reduce events such as sustained ventricular tachycardia and the need for ICD therapies, while not significantly increasing major potassium-related side effects when closely monitored. The findings, released at a major cardiology conference and published in a leading medical journal, have already generated discussion about how such an approach could be translated into everyday clinical practice in Thailand, where heart disease remains a major health challenge and hospital resources vary widely.