Hypoglycemia in hospitalized patients: more than just a nuisance

From a recent survey:

Method

An anonymised questionnaire was e-mailed to lead organisers at the 142 acute NHS Trusts that contributed to the National Diabetes Inpatient Audit 2012…

Results

..12 serious adverse events were reported from nine trusts: three deaths; two cases of permanent cerebral damage; two successfully resuscitated cardiac arrests; three seizures; and two undefined events. Insulin therapy was implicated in 10 events. Importantly, three events with two deaths occurred in patients who had received insulin/dextrose to correct hyperkalaemia; only one of whom had diabetes.

Conclusions

An alarming number of serious adverse events was reported: 12 serious adverse events with three deaths over a 1-year period in 41 Trusts. This may be the tip of the iceberg, considering the potential under-reporting.