pH-Corrected Serum Potassium

pH-corrected serum potassium: adjusts measured potassium to a normal pH of 7.4 (≈ 0.6 mEq/L per 0.1 pH unit), disclosing the true potassium masked by an acid-base disturbance.

Open the calculator → Runs in your browser. Data leaves only if you deliberately send a problem report from the interactive tool.

Example

Measured serum potassium
5.4 mEq/L
Arterial pH
7.2

Result: pH-corrected serum potassium 4.2 mEq/L at a normal pH of 7.4.

The tool opens with these values already filled in. Replace them with your own.

What the result means

Corrected K
Corrected K = measured K - 0.6 x [(7.4 - pH) / 0.1]; the organic-acidosis coefficient is closer to 0.3. A rule-of-thumb estimate, not a replacement order.

What you enter

  • Measured serum potassium
  • Arterial pH (6.5–8.0)
How this is calculated

Adrogue HJ, Madias NE. Changes in plasma potassium concentration during acute acid-base disturbances. Am J Med. 1981;71(3):456-467. Read the source ↗

A reference and educational tool. Not medical, legal, or financial advice, and not a substitute for clinician judgment.

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Built by Clay Good. Source on GitHub.