Treatment of hypoglycaemic diabetics in a prehospital setting is safe

Patients with diabetes suffering from hypoglycaemia may be treated by a Mobile Emergency Care Unit (MECU) and are often released at the scene following treatment. Some of these patients experience secondary hypoglycaemia and require renewed treatment or admission to hospital. The present study was initiated in order to investigate the extent of secondary hypoglycaemia, to evaluate the appropriateness of the current treatment practice, and to provide practical suggestions for the hand-ing of prehospital hypoglycaemia.

All MECU runs are registered in a database by the attending physician who states the patients' identity, treatment, outcome and diagnosis. Over a period of four years (1 May 2006-30 April 2010), all missions related to hypo-glycaemia were reviewed. Each entry was cross-referenced with the patient's hospital files to detect any recurrent hypoglycaemic episodes within 24 hours from initial contact.

The MECU treated 138 hypoglycaemic cases of whom 50% were released at home following treatment. Four of these patients experienced secondary hypoglycaemia. Two were treated by the MECU and two were admitted through the emergency department without contact to the MECU.

The number of patients suffering from secondary hypoglycaemia following treatment by the MECU is acceptable and in line with numbers reported by similar organisations.

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