Serum potassium, calcium and magnesium after resuscitation from ventricular fibrillation: A canine study

Serum electrolytes were measured before and sequentially for 3 hours after resuscitation from ventricular fibrillation in a canine model that was designed to approximate the human cardiac arrest and resuscitation process. Twenty anesthetized dogs were resuscitated from ventricular fibrillation; 7 required epinephrine during resuscitation and 13 did not. To control for the effects of anesthesia, 10 dogs were anesthetized and instrumented, but ventricular fibrillation was not induced.Serum potassium decreased from 3.7 ± 0.3 mmol/liter at baseline to 3.2 ± 0.4 mmol/liter 45 minutes after resuscitation in the experimental dogs resuscitated without epinephrine, as compared with 3.6 ± 0.3 to 3.4 ± 0.2 mmol/liter in control dogs (p = 0.07 versus control dogs by two-way analysis of variance) and returned toward baseline at the end of 3 hours. Serum calcium decreased from 9.6 ± 0.6 mg/dl at baseline to 8.9 ± 0.9 mg/dl at 5 minutes after resuscitation as compared with 9.4 ± 0.7 to 9.5 ± 0.7 mg/dl in control dogs (p < 0.05 versus control dogs) and returned to baseline by 3 hours. Serum magnesium decreased from 1.5 ± 0.1 to 1.3 ± 0.2 mEq/dl by 3 hours in resuscitated dogs as compared with 1.6 ± 0.2 to 1.5 ± 0.2 mEq/dl in control dogs (p = 0.06 versus control dogs). These changes in serum potassium, calcium and magnesium were independent of the administration of epinephrine during the resuscitation process. Changes in potassium were independent of arterial pH or bicarbonate therapy. Serum glucose increased after ventricular fibrillation but not in control dogs (p < 0.0005 versus control). No changes in other electrolytes were observed.Thus, serum potassium, calcium and magnesium decreased after resuscitation from ventricular fibrillation in this canine model. These data suggest that, although the hypokalemia seen after ventricular fibrillation in humans may in some cases precede the event, a decrease in potassium may develop after resuscitation

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead