Treatment usually involves: Fluid replacement. You’ll receive fluids — either by mouth or through a vein — until you’re rehydrated. The fluids will replace those you’ve lost through excessive urination, as well as help dilute the excess sugar in your blood.
Additionally, how do pediatrics manage DKA?
Treatment involves administration of intravenous fluids and insulin. Children with diabetic ketoacidosis require serial laboratory studies for electrolyte derangements and close clinical monitoring for signs of cerebral edema, an uncommon but potentially fatal complication of pediatric diabetic ketoacidosis.
Considering this, how is DKA treated in ICU?
TREATMENT OPTIONS IN THE ED OR ICU
The treatment of acute DKA includes restoration of fluid deficits in the first 24 to 36 h, electrolyte replacement and insulin therapy, which is administered slowly to decreased plasma glucose[23,24].
How is insulin given in DKA?
Standard low-dose insulin therapy consists of an initial intravenous bolus of 0.15 unit of regular insulin per kg followed by the continuous intravenous infusion of regular insulin prepared in normal saline or hypotonic saline solution at a rate of 0.1 unit per kg per hour.
What are the key nursing responsibilities when treating DKA?
Nursing Management
- Monitor vitals.
- Check blood sugars and treat with insulin as ordered.
- Start two large-bore IVs.
- Administer fluids as recommended.
- Check electrolytes as potassium levels will drop with insulin treatment.
- Check renal function.
- Assess mental status.
- Look for signs of infection (a common cause of DKA)
What is the anion gap for DKA?
In mild DKA, anion gap is greater than 10 and in moderate or severe DKA the anion gap is greater than 12. These figures differentiate DKA from HHS where blood glucose is greater than 600 mg/dL but pH is greater than 7.3 and serum bicarbonate greater than 15 mEq/L.
What is the most important treatment for DKA?
Treatment of DKA with intravenous insulin
Insulin treatment has evolved from the use of high-dose insulin, with doses up to 100 U/h by various routes of administration, to lower doses in the range of 5–10 U/h. We recommend an initial bolus of regular insulin of 0.1 U/kg followed by continuous insulin infusion.
What is the protocol for DKA?
A mix of 24 units of regular insulin in 60 mL of isotonic sodium chloride solution usually is infused at a rate of 15 mL/h (6 U/h) until the blood glucose level drops to less than 180 mg/dL; the rate of infusion then decreases to 5-7.5 mL/h (2-3 U/h) until the ketoacidotic state abates.
What is the sliding scale for insulin?
A sliding scale varies the dose of insulin based on blood glucose level. The higher your blood glucose the more insulin you take. The Sliding Scale method is more precise than fixed dose insulin in that it takes account of the fact that people’s blood glucose is not always in the normal range before meals.
What IV do you give for DKA?
Normal saline (0.9% sodium chloride) is the most commonly used intravenous fluid in treating DKA, but it has a very high concentration of chloride and can lead to additional acid production when given in large volumes.
When do you give Lantus to DKA?
A dose of glargine (Lantus®) is given subcutaneously after resolution of the DKA (i.e. when the intravenous insulin is stopped). This is currently the standard-of-care practice for children in DKA.
Why do you give dextrose in DKA?
Why is IV dextrose given to patients with DKA? When the serum glucose reaches 200 mg/dL in a patient with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), IV dextrose is added to avoid the development of cerebral edema. In addition, the rate of insulin infusion may need to be slowed down to between 0.02 and 0.05 units/kg/hr.