What are the consequences of accidentally ingesting potassium chloride?

Potassium chloride is a commonly used clinical agent for potassium supplementation, typically administered orally or via intravenous infusion in the treatment of hypokalemia.

Serum potassium concentration normally fluctuates within the physiological range of 3.5–5.5 mmol/L. This normal variation is maintained by coordinated absorption and metabolic regulatory mechanisms within the body.

It is precisely these endogenous regulatory mechanisms that maintain serum potassium within its physiological range, thereby ensuring its critical role in numerous physiological processes.

In healthy individuals, short-term, low-dose oral administration of potassium chloride generally does not produce noticeable or severe clinical symptoms. However, large oral doses of potassium chloride may overwhelm the body’s capacity for potassium excretion, leading to a marked elevation in serum potassium levels (hyperkalemia). This can result in clinical manifestations such as muscle weakness and fatigue; in severe cases, life-threatening cardiac arrest may occur, potentially resulting in death.