Potassium chloride is used as a remedy to treat and prevent low blood potassium. Low blood potassium can occur due to vomiting, diarrhea, or certain medications. The concentrated version must be diluted before use. This is given by slow injection into the vein or through the mouth.
Side effects may include heart problems if given too quickly by injection into blood vessels. Through the mouth it can cause abdominal pain, peptic ulcer disease, or gastrointestinal bleeding. Larger treatment is recommended for those with kidney problems. As long as high blood potassium levels do not occur, use in pregnancy or breastfeeding is believed to be safe for infants. Generally, the strength of the formulation for injection into the veins should not be greater than 40 mmol/l (3 gm/l).
Potassium chloride came to large commercial use as a fertilizer in 1861 and has been used medically since the 1950s. It's in the List of Essential Medicines of the World Health Organization, the most effective and safe drugs needed in the health system. Potassium chloride is available as a generic drug. The cost of grocery in developing countries is about 0.44 USD per 10 ml of 10% solution. In the UK 10 ml of a 15% solution of NHS costs about 0.48 pounds.
Video Potassium chloride (medical use)
Medical use
Potassium chloride is used in the treatment of hypokalemia as a replenisher electrolyte. With a molecular weight of about 75 and valence 1, the use of KCl for the electrolyte makes 75 mg equivalent to 1 mEq.
Some heart surgery procedures can not be performed on the heartbeat. For this procedure, the surgical team will cut the heart with a heart-lung machine and inject potassium chloride into the heart muscle to stop the heartbeat.
Maps Potassium chloride (medical use)
Side effects
Side effects may include gastrointestinal discomfort, including nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, and bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract.
Overdose causes hyperkalemia, which can cause paresthesias, heart conduction blocks, fibrillation, arrhythmias, and sclerosis. Due to the dangers of hyperkalemia, the US FDA limits the amount of potassium supplement to 99 mg (about 1.3 mEq) while recommending an adult daily intake of 4700 mg (about 63 mEq).
History
Slow-K is a 1950s development in which drugs are formulated to enter the bloodstream at delayed intervals. It was first prescribed for British military forces to balance their food while serving in Korea.
Society
Brand name
The brand names include K-Dur, Chlor-Con, Micro-K, Slow-K, Sando-K, and Ka Cl, which are mostly an extended release drug by mouth.
Lethal injection
Potassium chloride overdose has caused its use in lethal injection, as the third of a combination of three drugs. In addition, KCl is used (though rarely) at intracardiac injection of the fetus in second and third trimester abortions. Jack Kevorkian's Thanatron Machine injects a potentially deadly dose of potassium chloride to the patient, which causes the heart to stop functioning, after the induced thyroid induced thiopental coma is reached.
Cardiac arrest caused by potassium has been used in political assassinations in Iran, by injection or by introducing potassium suppositories into the victim's rectum.
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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