Dextrose Monohydrate, Sodium Chloride, and Potassium Chloride

INDICATIONS AND USAGE These solutions are indicated in patients requiring parenteral administration of potassium chloride with minimal carbohydrate calories and sodium chloride.

DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION These solutions should be administered only by intravenous infusion and as directed by the physician. The dose and rate of injection are dependent upon the age, weight and clinical condition of the patient. If the serum potassium level is greater than 2.5 mEq/liter, potassium should be given at a rate not to exceed 10 mEq/hour in a concentration less than 30 mEq/liter. Somewhat faster rates and greater concentrations (usually up to 40 mEq/liter) of potassium may be indicated in patients with more severe potassium deficiency. The total 24- hour dose should not generally exceed 200 mEq of potassium. As reported in the literature, the dosage and constant infusion rate of intravenous dextrose must be selected with caution in pediatric patients, particularly neonates and low birth weight infants, because of the increased risk of hyperglycemia/hypoglycemia. Drug Interactions Additives may be incompatible. Consult with pharmacist, if available. When introducing additives, use aseptic technique, mix thoroughly and do not store. Parenteral drug products should be inspected visually for particulate matter and discoloration prior to administration, whenever solution and container permit. See PRECAUTIONS .

WARNINGS Solutions which contain potassium ions should be used with great care, if at all, in patients with hyperkalemia, severe renal failure and in conditions in which potassium retention is present. To avoid potassium intoxication, do not infuse these solutions rapidly. In patients with severe renal insufficiency or adrenal insufficiency, administration of potassium chloride may cause potassium intoxication. Solutions containing sodium ions should be used with great care, if at all, in patients with congestive heart failure, severe renal insufficiency and in clinical states in which there exists edema with sodium retention. In patients with diminished renal function, administration of solutions containing sodium or potassium ions may result in sodium or potassium retention. The intravenous administration of these solutions can cause fluid and/or solute overloading resulting in dilution of serum electrolyte concentrations, overhydration, congested states or pulmonary edema. The risk of dilutional states is inversely proportional to the electrolyte concentration of administered parenteral solutions. The risk of solute overload causing congested states with peripheral and pulmonary edema is directly proportional to the electrolyte concentrations of such solutions.

CONTRAINDICATIONS Solutions containing potassium chloride are contraindicated in diseases where high potassium levels may be encountered.

Drug Interactions Additives may be incompatible. Consult with pharmacist, if available. When introducing additives, use aseptic technique, mix thoroughly and do not store. Parenteral drug products should be inspected visually for particulate matter and discoloration prior to administration, whenever solution and container permit. See PRECAUTIONS .

ADVERSE REACTIONS Reactions which may occur because of the solutions or technique of administration include febrile response, infection at the site of injection, venous thrombosis or phlebitis extending from the site of injection, extravasation and hypervolemia. If an adverse reaction does occur, discontinue the infusion, evaluate the patient, institute appropriate therapeutic countermeasures and save the remainder of the fluid for examination if deemed necessary. Nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea have been reported with potassium therapy. The signs and symptoms of potassium intoxication include paresthesias of the extremities, flaccid paralysis, listlessness, mental confusion, weakness and heaviness of the legs, hypotension, cardiac arrhythmias, heart block, electrocardiographic abnormalities such as disappearance of P waves, spreading and slurring of the QRS complex with development of a biphasic curve and cardiac arrest. Potassium-containing solutions are intrinsically irritating to tissues. Therefore, extreme care should be taken to avoid perivascular infiltration. Local tissue necrosis and subsequent sloughing may result if extravasation occurs. Chemical phlebitis and venospasm have also been reported. Should perivascular infiltration occur, I.V. administration at that site should be discontinued at once. Local infiltration of the affected area with procaine hydrochloride, 1%, to which hyaluronidase may be added, will often reduce venospasm and dilute the potassium remaining in the tissues locally. Local application of heat may also be helpful. To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Fresenius Kabi USA, LLC at 1-800-551-7176 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch.

CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY When administered intravenously, these solutions provide a source of water and potassium chloride with carbohydrate (dextrose) and sodium chloride. See HOW SUPPLIED section for specific concentrations of these various solutions. Solutions containing carbohydrate in the form of dextrose restore blood glucose levels and provide calories. Carbohydrate in the form of dextrose may aid in minimizing liver glycogen depletion and exerts a protein-sparing action. Dextrose injected parenterally undergoes oxidation to carbon dioxide and water. Intravenous solutions containing potassium chloride are particularly intended to provide needed potassium cation (K + ). Potassium is the chief cation of body cells (160 mEq/liter of intracellular water). It is found in low concentration in plasma and extracellular fluids (3.5 to 5.0 mEq/liter in a healthy adult). Potassium plays an important role in electrolyte balance. Normally about 80 to 90% of the potassium intake is excreted in the urine; the remainder in the stools and to a small extent, in the perspiration. The kidney does not conserve potassium well so that during fasting or in patients on a potassium-free diet, potassium loss from the body continues resulting in potassium depletion. A deficiency of either potassium or chloride will lead to a deficit of the other. Sodium chloride in water dissociates to provide sodium (Na + ) and chloride (Cl − ) ions. Sodium (Na + ) is the principal cation of the extracellular fluid and plays a large part in the therapy of fluid and electrolyte disturbances. Chloride (Cl − ) has an integral role in buffering action when oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange occurs in the red blood cells. The distribution and excretion of sodium (Na + ) and chloride (Cl − ) are largely under the control of the kidney which maintains a balance between intake and output. Water is an essential constituent of all body tissues and accounts for approximately 70% of total body weight. Average normal adult daily requirement ranges from two to three liters (1.0 to 1.5 liters each for insensible water loss by perspiration and urine production). Water balance is maintained by various regulatory mechanisms. Water distribution depends primarily on the concentration of electrolytes in the body compartments and sodium (Na + ) plays a major role in maintaining physiologic equilibrium.