Final answer:
The treatment option that can safely reduce both plasma potassium levels and total body potassium content is sodium polystyrene sulfonate. It exchanges sodium for potassium ions in the intestine, lowering serum potassium without affecting renal function.Option A is the correct answer.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student asked which treatment option besides dialysis can safely reduce both plasma potassium levels and total body potassium content in a patient with renal dysfunction with a potassium level of 7.0 mEq/L. The correct answer is a. Sodium polystyrene sulfonate.
Sodium polystyrene sulfonate works by exchanging sodium ions for potassium ions in the intestine, which helps to lower the serum potassium levels. This cation-exchange resin can safely lower total body potassium content, especially important in patients with compromised renal function. Its ability to reduce the serum potassium comes without substantially affecting renal function which could be further impaired in these patients. Hence, sodium polystyrene sulfonate is a preferable choice in cases of hyperkalemia where dialysis isn't an immediate option.
While regular insulin can also lower potassium levels by driving potassium into cells, it does not reduce the total body potassium content; it only shifts potassium from the extracellular fluid into the cells. Calcium gluconate is often used in the treatment of hyperkalemia as well, but it does not lower potassium levels; rather, it stabilizes the heart's response to the high potassium levels. Sodium polystyrene sulfonate with sorbitol has been associated with intestinal necrosis and is not as safe a choice compared to sodium polystyrene sulfonate alone.