Management of Diabetic Ketoacidosis

Management of Diabetic Ketoacidosis
Student Name
Institutional Affiliation
Management of Diabetic Ketoacidosis
The goal of a nurse when it comes to managing a patient diagnosed with diabetic Ketoacidosis is to maintain the blood glucose at a stable target range in addition to regulating the balance of the normal fluid. It is also important to note that successful management of DKA needs concurrent monitoring of the metabolic and medical parameters that enable DKA resolution (Gosmanov et.al, 2014). According to the case, the patient’s medical history includes type 1 diabetes, chronic kidney infection, CAD for five years and hypertension for fifteen years. Also, the patient has been admitted in the ICU with similar symptoms for the last six months. In such a situation, the nursing interventions to give priority is the application of cardiac monitor and obtaining IV access.
Obtaining IV access puts into view the monitoring of the patient’s electrolyte balance and fluid for the purpose of preventing the patient from experiencing dehydration and suffer complications affiliated with reduced levels of magnesium, sodium, calcium and potassium. The associated view is that the presence of excess or high blood glucose levels may result in vomiting or feelings of nausea resulting in the imbalances of the electrolytes (Trachtenbarg, 2005). The electrolyte deficiencies may then lead to the occurrence of cardiac arrhythmias including more complications. This puts into view the need for prioritizing cardiac monitoring in order to detect the presence of any abnormalities that may result in cardiac arrhythmias which may be fatal.

It is advised to monitor the patient’s blood glucose levels after one or two hours until the patient stabilizes. This also involves monitoring the levels of sodium, nitrogen in blood urea, potassium, bicarbonate and serum creatinine. The monitoring may be done after two or six hours with respect to the intensity of the DKA. Cardiac monitoring is also a priority to detect the presence of any abnormalities that may result in cardiac arrhythmias (Trachtenbarg, 2005).
References
Gosmanov, A., Gosmanova, E., & Dillard-Cannon, E. (2014). Management of adult diabetic ketoacidosis. Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity: Targets and Therapy, 7, 255-265. doi: 10.2147/dmso.s50516.
Trachtenbarg, D.E. (2005). Diabetic Ketoacidosis. American Family Physician, 71(9), 1705-1714.