Sodium polystyrene sulfonate has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the short-term treatment of hyperkalaemia. It is a synthetic cation-bound resin that exchanges sodium cations for potassium in the gastrointestinal (GI) lumen, resulting in increased faecal potassium excretion that in turn leads to decreased serum potassium levels.
A related editorial highlights that there have been no robust randomised clinical trials documenting the efficacy and safety of sodium polystyrene sulfonate for long-term management of hyperkalaemia. Additionally, no studies have addressed the association of sodium polystyrene sulfonate with clinical outcomes potentially related to hyperkalaemia, such as cardiac arrhythmias.
Sodium polystyrene sulfonate is not available in the UK.