Severe hyperkalemia is a potentially life threatening cardiac emergency, especially in patients with renal failure, and can lead to fatal arrhythmias such as ventricular fibrillation or asystole, leading to cardiac arrest. We report a case of a 39-year-old woman who developed sudden cardiac arrest secondary to hyperkalemia (9.95 mEq/L) with renal insufficiency. Despite 20 min of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and conventional treatment for hyperkalemia, the cardiac arrest persisted. Hemodialysis was then initiated via the right femoral vein during CPR, and the patient restored spontaneous heartbeat 40 min later. Hemodialysis should be considered in the course of CPR in severe hyperkalemia induced cardiac arrest if conventional therapies fail.
Keywords: cardiac arrest; hemodialysis; hyperkalemia; kidney failure.