Open AccessAcute Hypoglycemia in Emergency Room: A Review
Author(s) -
Hisham Mohammed Sonbul,
Faris Ali Hakami,
Ibrahim Ahmed Almathami,
Ahmad Yousef Basalamah,
Riyad Khalid Almasaud,
Hasan Mohssen Alabbadi,
Mohammed Ali Alrehaily,
Wesam Mostafa Edrees,
Hatem Mohammed AlDhalea,
Siddiqa Mohamed Ali,
Mohammed A. Alqahtani
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of pharmaceutical research international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2456-9119
DOI - 10.9734/jpri/2021/v33i52b33598
Subject(s) - hypoglycemia , medicine , emergency department , hyperkalemia , insulin , incidence (geometry) , intensive care medicine , pediatrics , emergency medicine , anesthesia , psychiatry , physics , optics
Hypoglycemia is frequently encountered in the emergency department (ED) and has potential for serious morbidity. The incidence and causes of iatrogenic hypoglycemia are not known. We aim to describe how often the cause of ED hypoglycemia is iatrogenic and to identify its specific causes. Adult patients with a chief complaint or ED diagnosis of hypoglycemia, or an ED glucose value of ≤70 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) between 2009–2014. Two independent abstractors each reviewed charts of patients with an initial glucose ≤ 50 mg/dL, or initial glucose ≥ 70 mg/dL with a subsequent glucose ≤ 50 mg/dL, to determine if the hypoglycemia was caused by iatrogenesis.
In ED patients with hypoglycemia, iatrogenic causes are relatively common. The most frequent cause was insulin administration for hyperkalemia and uncomplicated hyperglycemia. Additionally, patients at risk of hypoglycemia in the absence of insulin, including those with alcohol intoxication or poor nutritional status, should be monitored closely in the ED.