secondary care Flashcards
potential blood sample contaminants that could result in falsely high K+ values
- EDTA-K (anticoagulant used in blood bottles -> EDTA binds bivalent ions (Calcium and Magnesium) => Ca and Mg may be very low
- drip with K+
4 causes of falsely high K+ blood results
- delayed separation of cells
- haemolysis
- contamination
- thrombocytosis/leukocytosis
HbA1c diabetic targets (2)
- 48 mmol/L for most diabetics
- 53 mmol/L if on hypo causing meds
what diabetic medications should be stopped in the case of DKA or illness (and what shouldn’t be)
stop SGLT2is and sulphonyureas due to risk of dehydration; do not stop metformin
in what case should metformin be stopped
if eGFR<30
when is a GLP1 agonist good to give
if BMI >30 (helps weight loss by increasing satiety)
who might ultra long acting insulin be given to (2)
- elderly pts who are visited by district nurses
- frequent DKA pts (poorly controlled)
sites of insulin injection from fastest to slowest absorption time
- abdomen
- backs of arms
- legs
- buttocks
if on 2 different insulins, what should be recommended about the injection sites
the injection sites should be two completely different areas to avoid interaction
apart from appearance, why is lipohypertrophy bad
insulin can’t be absorbed as well here
can lipohypertrophy be reversed
if small areas then yes, but no if severe
why trying to combat hyperglycaemia, what should be done to the insulin dose
increase it by 10%
why trying to combat hypoglycaemia, what should be done to the insulin dose
reduce insulin by 10-20% and review in 1 week (needs time to take effect)
correcting hypos take priority over hypers
what blood glucose value is considered hypoglycaemic
<4
7 early hypoglycaemiasigns
adrenergic symptoms
1. palpitations
2. tremor
3. anxiety
4. sweating
5. hunger
6. headache
7. parasethesia
6 late hypoglycaemia signs
neuroglycaemic signs
1. confusion
2. unusual behavior (e.g. overly aggressive)
3. drowsiness
4. speech difficulties
5. seizure
6. coma
how to treat a hypo
ifcan eat - give simple sugars e.g. orange juice, 5 glucose tabs, dextrose tables, jelly babies, 2 glucogel
repeat up to 3 times until BG reaches 4mmol -> if not then IV dextrose may be required
follow up with a starchy snack (once BG is >4)
if can’t eat then IV dextrose
ketone values
<0.6 - normal
0.6-1.59 - slightly high, increase monitoring
1.6-2.9 - risk of DKA, contact diabetes team/GP
>= 3.0 - high risk of DKA, get medical help immediately
how should an IV insulin infusion be stopped
stop it so that there is an overlap with the normal insulin dose - IV insulin only has a half life of 5 mins and so the normal dose must be given within this time
what are the 2 categories of diabetes complications
- microvascular
- macrovascular
what 3 things should be checked in the diabetes annual review to account for macrovascular complications
- BP
- BMI
- cholesterol levels
what is checked in a diabetes annual review (11)
- blood pressure
- blood glucose (HbA1c)
- cholesterol
- eye screening (every 2 years)
- foot and leg check
- kidney test
- dietry advice
- emotional and physical support
- flu jab
- smoking cessation (advice)
- pregnancy (advice)
how often do diabetic get their eyes checked if no visual problems
every 2 years
what 3 areas are affected by microvascular complications and how should their function be checked
- kidney - eGFR, albumin:Creatanin ratio (give ACEi/ARB if high)
- nerves - foot examination, ask about autonomic symptoms
- retinopathy - retinal exam
what are the 2 types of neuropathy that can arise w diabetes and what are symptoms
- peripheral - loss of sensation in feet and hands (glove and stocking distribution), ulcers, paresthesia etc.
- autonomic - urinary incontinence, postural hypotension, gastroparesis
3 stages of diabetic retinopathy and what can be seen in each
- background retinopathy - microaneuyrism, hard exudate
- preproliferative - cotton wool spots, haemorrhages
- proliferative - neovascularisation ->can lead to vitreous haemorrhage