Because potassium chloride solutions are more irritating to the blood vessels, they often cause vascular pain after intravenous infusion. The reaction of the intima to potassium chloride can be improved by warming the fluid to a level close to body temperature during infusion. Dilution of potassium chloride with saline or glucose can reduce the pain or slow down the rate of potassium chloride infusion. Once this occurs, the inflammation of the intima can be reduced and the pain relieved by applying heat or the drug Xylitol, or the local symptoms can be treated by wet application of certain anti-inflammatory medications.