Electrocardiogram in Asiatic cholera. Separated studies of effects of hypovolaemia, acidosis, and potassium loss.

Electrocardiographic responses to correction of hypovoltmic shock, to changes in arterial pH, and to alterations in potassium balance have been described under a variety of conditions (Barker, Shrader, and Ronzoni, 1939; Lepeschkin, 1951; Surawicz et al., 1957; Surawicz, 1963; Reid et al., 1965). In many previous studies, however, the electrocardiographic patterns have been influenced by several variables which have rendered interpretation difficult. In patients with Asiatic cholera, the rapid gastro-intestinal losses of potassium-rich, isotonic, alkaline fluid result in severe saline depletion, base-deficit acidosis, and potassium deficiency (Phillips, 1963). Serial correction of saline depletion, acidosis, and potassium deficiency, respectively, permits further clarification of the effect of each of these parameters on the electrocardiogram. The present study describes the results of such serial studies, in which correlations of electrocardiographic findings with simultaneous biochemical and clinical observations have been determined.