Acute Complications Management Flashcards
7 cards from real Diabetes practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Acute Complications Management flashcards as text
A patient with type 1 diabetes is found unresponsive with a blood glucose of 28 mg/dL. No IV access is available. What is the most appropriate initial intervention?
Answer: Administer glucagon 1 mg IM or subcutaneously
Glucagon IM or subcutaneous injection is the preferred treatment for severe hypoglycemia when IV access is unavailable and the patient cannot safely swallow.
Which acid-base disturbance is characteristic of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA)?
Answer: High anion gap metabolic acidosis
DKA produces a high anion gap metabolic acidosis due to accumulation of ketoacid anions (beta-hydroxybutyrate and acetoacetate).
A patient with type 2 diabetes on metformin develops HHS with a serum osmolality of 340 mOsm/kg. What is the priority fluid for initial resuscitation?
Answer: 0.9% normal saline (isotonic saline)
Isotonic saline (0.9% NaCl) is administered first to restore circulating volume before switching to hypotonic fluids once hemodynamic stability is achieved.
A patient using an insulin pump is found with blood glucose of 550 mg/dL and ketones present. The pump site appears red and swollen. What is the most likely cause?
Answer: Pump site failure causing insulin non-delivery
An inflamed or occluded pump site prevents insulin delivery, rapidly leading to ketosis in type 1 diabetes because there is no basal insulin reserve.
When treating DKA, at what serum glucose level should dextrose be added to the IV fluids while continuing insulin?
Answer: When glucose drops below 250 mg/dL
Dextrose is added to IV fluids when glucose falls below 250 mg/dL to allow continued insulin infusion needed to resolve ketoacidosis.
A patient recovering from DKA asks why potassium was given even though their initial serum potassium was 5.1 mEq/L. What is the best explanation?
Answer: Total body potassium is depleted despite initially normal or elevated serum levels
In DKA, total body potassium is depleted; initial hyperkalemia is artifactual due to acidosis-driven potassium shift out of cells, which reverses with insulin and fluid treatment.
Which of the following clinical findings most distinguishes HHS from DKA?
Answer: Severe dehydration and altered mental status without significant ketosis
HHS is characterized by extreme hyperglycemia (often >600 mg/dL), severe dehydration, and altered consciousness with absent or minimal ketosis, unlike DKA.