DKA Prevention and Insulin Pumps: Lessons Learned From a Large Pediatric Pump Practice

This purpose of the study was to describe recent diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) incidence data in youth with type 1 diabetes using insulin pumps and the impact of continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) on DKA rates.

DKA data were obtained through a retrospective chart review of insulin pump users (ages <26 years) between December 2019 and June 2021 in an academic pediatric endocrinology practice where 68% of patients were pump users.

Among 591 pump patients, 28 events occurred (3.16 events per 100 patient-years). Mean age was 13.6±3.4 years; 85.7% ranged from 12 to 19 years. Mean A1C was 10.2±2.3%, diabetes duration was 6.1±4.0 years, and 57.1% used CGM. Admission pH levels ranged between 7.0 and 7.31, with 28.6% of events classified as "moderate" and 46.4% "severe." There was no significant difference in the DKA severity between those who wore a CGM and those who did not (ie, pH, serum bicarbonate, mentation alteration, length of stay, intensive care unit admission, and hospital admission). DKA events were attributed to concurrent illness (10.7%), insulin omission (14.3%), pump site failure (57.1%), or other pump malfunctions (14.3%).

DKA events in pump-treated patients were relatively uncommon; most episodes occurred in adolescents with higher A1C levels, and notably, most events could have been avoided if users followed standard troubleshooting guidelines. Thus, DKA prevention education should be reinforced at each encounter, particularly for teens with higher A1C levels. Moreover, more than 50% of those with DKA episodes wore a CGM, suggesting that pump users using CGM require frequent reinforcement of this education and that the development of such educational materials is critical.