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Alkalies

Categories: Uncategorized
Sources: Disturbances Of The Heart

Anything which tends to increase the acidity of the tissues and to

diminish the alkalinity of the blood, whether from starvation or

outer causes, seems to pro-duce endocardial and myocardial

irritation, if not actual inflammation. Therefore in a disease like

rheumatism, which seems to be made worse by anything which increases

the acidity, alkalies are obviously indicated, and it is probable

that an increased alkalinity
of the blood tends to prevent

endocardial irritation, and may soothe an inflammation already

present. Until we have some positive knowledge to the contrary,

alkalies should be freely administered during endocarditis,

especially during rheumatic endocarditis. Potassium citrate in 2 gm.

(30 grain) closes, in wintergreen water, should be given every three

to six hours, depending on how readily the urine is made alkaline.

This may be given with the salicylic acid treatment, and also when

the salicylic acid has been stopped. It may be well, if sodium

salicylate is being used, to give also sodium bicarbonate, the

sodium bicarbonate often preventing irritation of the stomach from

the sodium salicylate, the dose being equal parts of the sodium

salicylate and the sodium bicarbonate administered in plenty of

water. If some other form of salicylic acid is preferred,

novaspirin, which is methylene-citryl-salicylic acid and contains 62

percent of salicylic acid, is perhaps the least irritant to the

stomach of the salicylic preparations. This drug is decomposed in

the intestine into its component parts, salicylic acid and

methylene-citric acid. If this drug is combined with sodium

bicarbonate, the disintegration into its component parts would be

likely to occur in the stomach.



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