Oral glucose to non diabetic

[gotbeerz001]

The phrase "exhibiting signs of hypoglycemia" gives me the anger Are they hypoglycemic or not? What sad pathetic joke of a company doesn't give their EMT-B's glucometers?

California


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[VentMonkey]

If you are not diabetic it is not physiologically possible to become symptomatically hypoglycaemic, unless of course, you've poisoned yourself with a medicine capable of doing this (for example insulin), you are a child under five years of age with significant infection, or you have a giant insulinoma.

Citing?

Anyways, beyond the ridiculousness of an over the counter test non medically trained lay persons are expected to perform on themselves regularly being to invasive for EMTs in many areas....circling back to the OPs question, what I was taught was that if you had a patient who you believed to be hypoglycemic to give sugar (as long as their alert enough to eat a tube of our oral glucose) as its harder to hurt someone with too much sugar, vs someone can rapidly deteriorate and even die with a too low sugar. At least that was what was taught in EMT class (alongside such gems as every ACS or ALOC pt should be placed on high glow O2)

All around, this is crudely right, or at least par for the course with most EMT classes.

Also, I think high flow O2 via NRB still very much has a time and place (traumatic brain injured patients with intact gags are probably the best example), however, if we're still talking about the ALS providers shipping BLS patients and telling you to put them on "high flow" because they charted it, and it will "make them feel better" then that's just poor care, and not reflective of the paramedicine I'd want to associate myself with.

 

[EpiEMS]

circling back to the OPs question, what I was taught was that if you had a patient who you believed to be hypoglycemic to give sugar (as long as their alert enough to eat a tube of our oral glucose) as its harder to hurt someone with too much sugar, vs someone can rapidly deteriorate and even die with a too low sugar. At least that was what was taught in EMT class (alongside such gems as every ACS or ALOC pt should be placed on high glow O2)

Agreed, as you said, this is what is generally taught (in CT, NH, and NYS). I am under the impression that this (administering oral glucose if the "potentially" hypoglycemic patient is alert and has an intact gag reflex) is generally sound practice (absent a glucometer).

 

[johnrsemt]

Remember no one is diabetic until the first time: so just because they have no history, doesn't mean that it is new to them.

Treat the Patient

 

[E tank]

Remember no one is diabetic until the first time: so just because they have no history, doesn't mean that it is new to them.

Treat the Patient

First time declaring diabetic most likely will present with hyper or hypoglycemia? Do you have to be diabetic to have symptomatic hypoglycemia?

 

[Caspar]

First time declaring diabetic most likely will present with hyper or hypoglycemia? Do you have to be diabetic to have symptomatic hypoglycemia?

Wouldn't a first time diabetic present with signs of hyperglycemia? Can't you become hypoglycemic if you just don't eat?

 

[Flying]

Can't you become hypoglycemic if you just don't eat?

Technically yes, but the body will catabolize its tissues to prevent that, and at some point you're just starving. Using your glucose reserve faster than you can replenish it will lead to hypoglycemia, hence insulin and exercise-induced hypoglycemia.