Hyperglycemic coma occurs in people with diabetes mellitus with non-compliance with therapeutic treatment and an improper lifestyle.
What it is?
Diabetes mellitus is a disease in which the main pancreatic hormone, insulin, is not produced. It is he who is involved in the conversion of incoming sugar into glucose. With the accumulation of sugar in the human body, it is excreted through the urine. To prevent this from happening, patients with diabetes have to inject insulin intramuscularly.
If the dosage is not followed or the diet is not correct, blood sugar levels may increase. And when the concentration reaches the limit, a hyperglycemic coma occurs. Emergency care, an algorithm of actions in which can save a person, should be provided immediately. But in medicine, hyperglycemic coma is distinguished in people who do not have diabetes. They can be attributed to the risk zone for this disease. After all, an increase in blood sugar is the first signs of malfunctioning of the pancreas.
These include patients with cirrhosis, tumors of the endocrine system, poor absorption of carbohydrate foods.
Causes of occurrence
After a person is diagnosed with diabetes, an injection schedule is drawn up. The dosage is selected, as a rule, stationary, under the supervision of doctors. The patient must strictly adhere to the dosage and adhere to the established schedule. Skipping insulin administration threatens a rise in blood sugar, which will require emergency care for hyperglycemic coma.
It is important to follow a diet in the diet, do not eat fatty, fried, smoked, salty, do not drink alcohol. Sugar-containing products are replaced by special diabetic products where fructose is used. Deviation from the diet can trigger a sharp jump in blood sugar.
After the injection, the patient must eat. Diabetics are prescribed fractional nutrition. If you do not adhere to this rule, then again, an increase in glucose is possible.
Signs of coma
Emergency care for hyperglycemic coma is extremely important. But first, let's look at its main features.
In medicine, the patient's diabetes is distinguished, which can last one to two days. Key features:
- general weakness;
- intense thirst;
- smell of acetone from the mouth;
- dry skin
- frequent urination
- pain in the eyeballs;
- loss of consciousness.
If you do not pay attention to these signs in time and take appropriate measures, then this condition threatens with loss of consciousness, which in some cases leads to death. An increase in blood sugar is accompanied by itching and peeling of the skin, in contrast to a lowered level. If the patient pays attention to the above signs in time and begins to systematically administer insulin injections, he will save his life.
First aid
Proper emergency care for hyperglycemic coma can save a person’s life. I would like to note right away that only medical workers should provide assistance to a patient in a coma. But, if it happened that a person lost consciousness, he started having convulsions, immediately call an ambulance.
Before the medical team arrives, lay the patient on one side and fix the tongue with a spoon or other long object. This is a necessary step to avoid tongue retraction and, as a consequence, asphyxiation.
If a person has convulsive twitching or convulsions, make sure that he does not hit. To do this, keep the patient's limbs in a position on their side.
This is the emergency care for hyperglycemic coma. The algorithm of therapeutic care and treatment in a hospital will be considered further.
Clinical treatment
After the arrival of the medical team, urgent hospitalization in the intensive care unit follows. If the patient has a glucometer, the blood sugar level is measured and the following actions are taken on the spot. Insulin is injected subcutaneously, its dosage is calculated based on the readings of the glucometer, and the patient is hospitalized.
Correctly diagnosed hyperglycemic coma, symptoms, emergency care in which radically differ from hypoglycemic coma, are very important. With an incorrect diagnosis, you can not have time to save a person.
Already directly in intensive care, a solution of sodium chloride and glucose is injected intravenously. If the patient’s condition is moderate, then the dose of insulin is one hundred units, if severe - about one hundred and fifty, and in extremely severe - about two hundred. The insulin that is administered should be short-acting for rapid absorption into the blood.
Also, after diagnosis of the respiratory tract and measurement of blood pressure, treatment is selected. In severe cases, the patient is connected to an artificial respiration apparatus. At low pressure, appropriate drugs are administered intravenously.
Particular attention to your illness
After receiving the diagnosis of diabetes mellitus, the patient must treat himself with maximum responsibility. The local doctor endocrinologist explains the principles of personal care. These are timely injections of insulin, fractional nutrition, diet, blood test.
It is important to control the level of glucose in the blood, for this diabetics use a glucometer. Ideally, take measurements twice a day, in accordance with which to change the dosage of insulin.
Always have a diabetic card with you, which should be in your pocket. This will help if you need emergency care for hyperglycemic coma. For cases of hypoglycemic coma (lowering blood sugar), have something sweet at hand. It can be honey in stick or jam.
In no case do not skip insulin, and if this happens, then control the sugar level until stabilization.
Important information for relatives and friends
People who are close to people with diabetes should know the general information about the disease so that emergency care is provided on time with a hyperglycemic coma or hypoglycemic.
If the patient fainted before your eyes, immediately call an ambulance. And before their arrival, make sure that your tongue doesn’t sink, - in what way, we already told. It will be useful to measure sugar with a glucometer before the doctors arrive, so as not to waste time and help faster.
In a coma, without assistance, a person can live a maximum of 24 hours. Therefore, pay more attention to relatives with this disease. Emergency care for hyperglycemic coma in children does not differ from an adult. Differences only in the dosage of drugs and the duration of inpatient treatment.