Patient education: Diabetic ketoacidosis – Discharge instructions (The Basics)

What are discharge instructions? — Discharge instructions are information about how to take care of yourself after getting medical care for a health problem.

What is diabetic ketoacidosis? — Diabetic ketoacidosis ("DKA") is a serious problem that can happen to people with diabetes. It happens when blood sugar levels get too high and chemicals called "ketones" build up in the blood.

DKA usually needs to be treated in the hospital.

How do I care for myself at home? — Ask the doctor or nurse what you should do when you go home. Make sure that you understand exactly what you need to do to care for yourself. Ask questions if there is anything you do not understand.

To lower the chances of getting DKA again, you should:

●Take your insulin exactly as instructed.

●Check your blood sugar often to make sure that it is not too high or too low.

●Ask your doctor about "sick day rules." If you have an illness like a cold or the flu, your blood sugar might go up and down more than usual. This means that you need to check your blood sugar more often when you are sick. Your doctor or nurse can tell you how to adjust your insulin dose based on your blood sugar levels.

●Check your ketones at home, if your doctor told you to do this. You can buy urine test strips in a pharmacy or online. Some people use a meter to check for ketones in their blood instead of testing their urine. You might need to measure your ketones if your blood sugar gets above a certain level. Make sure that you know how and when to test, and what to do if your ketone level is high.

●Drink fluids that do not have sugar when you are thirsty. Sugary drinks, like juice, will increase your blood sugar more.

What follow-up care do I need? — Your doctor or nurse will tell you if you need to make a follow-up appointment. If so, make sure that you know when and where to go.

When should I call the doctor? — Call your doctor or nurse right away if:

●You get symptoms of DKA again, such as:

•Feeling very thirsty, and drinking a lot

•Urinating a lot, including at night

•Nausea or vomiting

•Belly pain

•Feeling tired, or having trouble thinking clearly

•Breath that smells sweet or fruity

•Weight loss

●Your blood sugar level keeps being higher than it should be.

More on this topic

Patient education: Diabetic ketoacidosis (The Basics)
Patient education: Type 1 diabetes (The Basics)
Patient education: Checking your blood sugar at home (The Basics)
Patient education: Keeping track of your blood sugar (The Basics)
Patient education: Sick day planning for people with type 1 diabetes (The Basics)

Patient education: Type 1 diabetes: Overview (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: Type 1 diabetes: Insulin treatment (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: Glucose monitoring in diabetes (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: Preventing complications from diabetes (Beyond the Basics)