A -year-old man with a history of type 1 diabetes mellitus is brought to the emergency department with abdominal pain, vomiting, and confusion. Laboratory evaluation reveals the following:
| Laboratory Test | Result | Reference Range |
|---|---|---|
| Serum glucose | ||
| Arterial pH | ||
| Serum bicarbonate | ||
| Serum potassium | ||
| Anion gap |
He is diagnosed with severe diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). Arrange the following management steps in the most appropriate chronological sequence for this patient.
- 1Infuse to liters of sodium chloride intravenously.
- 2Administer intravenous potassium chloride.
- 3Initiate a continuous intravenous infusion of regular insulin.
- 4Add dextrose to the intravenous fluids.
- 5Transition to a subcutaneous basal-bolus insulin regimen.
Cevap
The correct sequence is: 1) Infuse 0.9% sodium chloride, 2) Administer intravenous potassium chloride, 3) Initiate intravenous regular insulin, 4) Add 5% dextrose to IV fluids, and 5) Transition to subcutaneous insulin.
The standard management sequence for DKA prioritizes ABCs and fluid resuscitation. Therefore, IV normal saline is always first. The next critical decision point is the potassium level. Because this patient's potassium is dangerously low at , potassium replacement must occur before insulin is given. Once potassium is , continuous IV insulin is started. When blood glucose drops to approximately , dextrose is added to the IV fluids to allow continued insulin administration for ketone clearance without causing hypoglycemia. Finally, after the anion gap is closed () and the patient can eat, IV insulin is transitioned to a subcutaneous regimen.
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Anahtar Kavram
In the management of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), profound hypokalemia () requires immediate potassium replacement prior to the initiation of insulin therapy to prevent fatal cardiac arrhythmias.