"In conclusion, our study does not indicate that timing of dialysis poses a risk. What may be of greater importance is the potassium status, its treatment, and the severity of the patients' condition on admission," the authors wrote. "Given that this is a retrospective as well as a small study, we cannot make any clear recommendations, however our findings suggest that rather than delay dialysis, concern should be placed on the degree and rate that potassium levels change," they added.

The authors report no financial disclosures. Study co-authors include Dharmeshkumar Sutariya, MD, Aaron Stern, MD, Garima Gupta, MD (Elmhurst/Queens Hospital Center/Mount Sinai School of Medicine); Christos Carvounis, MD (Kyanos Stavros Medical Center, Greece); and Robin Arora, MD, Anjali Acharya, MD, and Serge Balmir, MD (Jacobi Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine).

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