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Diabetic Ketoacidosis in the ICU

a review

The lecture duration is 28min.

0.5 CPD Points, 0.5 CEUs, 0.5 CME credits approval pending.
Accredited by CPDUK, CBRN and Provider Pending.

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Mahesh Ramanan
Staff Specialist in Intensive Care Medicine at The Prince Charles and Caboolture Hospitals, QLD, Australia
Lecture Summary

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a potentially life-threatening complication of diabetes that results from absolute or relative insulin deficiency. It can be triggered by missed insulin doses, infection or other stressors such as trauma and myocardial infarction. DKA is a syndrome of hyperglycaemia, hyperketonaemia, high anion gap metabolic acidosis, severe dehydration and electrolyte depletion. Treatment consists of addressing the trigger, and insulin, fluid and electrolyte replacement. Several unresolved questions relating to route, dose, type and rate of insulin and fluid administration persist.

Target Audience

Critical Care Doctors
Experienced or advanced Critical Care Nurses

Learning Objectives:

Upon completion of this activity, you should be able to:

  • Outline the major pathophysiological derangements that are observed in diabetic ketoacidosis at presentation
  • Outline the biochemical derangements and complications that may be seen during the treatment and recovery phase of DKA
  • Describe the key management principles of DKA

None.