The use of intravenous hydrochloric acid in the treatment of thirty-four patients with metabolic alkalosis.

Since 1972, 34 patients with refractory metabolic alkalosis have been treated with intravenous hydrochloric acid at the teaching hospitals of the Medical College of Georgia. Intravenous hydrochloric acid lacks some of the problems associated with alternative methods of therapy. The acid must always be given through a central vein, and its effects should be monitored closely. The use of intravenous hydrochloric acid is a safe, effective way of preventing the deleterious effcts of severe metabolic alkalosis.