Final answer:
Yes, a patient with hyperkalemia or high potassium levels is at significant risk of sudden cardiac arrest or asystole, which can be fatal.
Step-by-step explanation:
A patient with high potassium levels, a condition known as hyperkalemia, is indeed at serious risk of sudden cardiac arrest or asystole. Hyperkalemia can impair the function of skeletal muscles, the nervous system, and significantly the heart. In the heart, excessive potassium can cause the cardiac cells to become partially depolarized, meaning that they cannot properly repolarize. This leads to the heart being unable to relax after a contraction, which can result in the heart ceasing to pump blood. The fatal effects can occur within minutes, thus making the statement that a patient with high potassium can go into sudden cardiac arrest or asystole true.