Serum Potassium as a Predictor of Clinical Outcomes in an Older Patient Cohort With Chronic Postsurgical Pain

Perioperative serum potassium in patients over 65 impacts recovery, quality of life and physical functioning. While perioperative serum potassium is an important preoperative risk factor for poor surgical outcomes in older adults, the relationship between perioperative serum potassium and postsurgical pain in this population has not been investigated. The investigators hypothesized that preoperative serum potassium would be associated with greater odds of postsurgical chronic pain.