title: Complications of "slow-K" therapy.
abstract: (1) The failure of ;Slow-K' tablets to disintegrate prevents rapid release but allows them to be trapped by their bulk in the intestine.(2) Two cases are reported. In the first the tablet was trapped in a caecal diverticulum and the patient developed an abcess. In the second, abdominal pain developed which subsided when ;Slow-K' was stopped. Later ;Slow-K' was again started and the patient developed dysphagia.(3) The possibility of abdominal complications with this treatment should be remembered.(4) Effervescent KC1 preparations may replace ;Slow-K' but KC1 supplementation may be necessary only in cardiac disease.
mesh_terms: D000038:Abscess / Q000139:chemically induced; D001065:Appendix; D003680:Deglutition Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000188:drug therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011189:Potassium Chloride / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013608:Tablets, Enteric-Coated / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D013608:Tablets, Enteric-Coated; D011189:Potassium Chloride