Safety and efficacy of sodium zirconium cyclosilicate for the management of acute and chronic hyperkalemia in children with chronic kidney disease 4–5 and on dialysis

Background Sodium zirconium cyclosilicate (SZC), an ion-exchange resin, is effective in the control of hyperkalemia in adults with chronic kidney disease (CKD); reports of use in children are limited. Prolonged therapy with SZC to relax dietary potassium restriction in CKD has not been examined. Methods We conducted a retrospective chart review of patients 6 months to 18 years of age with CKD stage 4–5 or on dialysis (5D) administered SZC for sustained hyperkalemia (potassium ≥ 5.5 mEq/L, three consecutive values). Patients received SZC (0.5–10 g per dose; age-based) either short-term (< 30 days) or long-term (> 30 days). Results Twenty patients with median age 10.8 (inter-quartile range 3.9, 13.4) years were treated with SZC. Short-term SZC, for 5 (3, 19) days, was associated with safe management of dialysis catheter insertions ( n = 5) and access dysfunction ( n = 4), and was useful during palliative care ( n = 1). Serum potassium levels decreased from 6.7 (6.1, 6.9) to 4.4 (3.7, 5.2) mEq/L ( P < 0.001). Long-term SZC for 5.3 (4.2, 10.1) months achieved decline in serum potassium from 6.1 (5.8, 6.4) to 4.8 (4.2, 5.4) mEq/L ( P < 0.001). SZC use was associated with liberalization of diet ( n = 6) and was useful in patients with poor adherence to dietary restriction ( n = 3). Adverse events or edema were not observed; serum sodium and blood pressure remained stable. Conclusions SZC was safe and effective for the management of acute and chronic hyperkalemia in children with CKD4-5/5D. Its use was associated with relaxation of dietary potassium restriction. Studies to examine its routine use to improve diet and nutritional status in children with CKD are required. Graphical Abstract A higher resolution version of the Graphical abstract is available as Supplementary information