Question

A 70-year-old man with type 2 diabetes treated with basal-bolus insulin develops symptomatic hypoglycaemia on the ward: he is awake but sweaty and shaky, with capillary glucose 2.7 mmol/L. He can swallow safely. What is the most appropriate immediate treatment?

Accepted Answer

Give 15 g of fast-acting oral carbohydrate such as glucose tablets and recheck in 15 minutes.

Answer

Stop insulin and wait 1 hour before re-measuring glucose.

Answer

Give 50 mL of 50 percent dextrose intravenously immediately.

Answer

Give glucagon intramuscularly and keep him nil by mouth.

Answer

Start an intravenous insulin infusion to stabilise glucose.

Practice question

A 70-year-old man with type 2 diabetes treated with basal-bolus insulin develops symptomatic hypoglycaemia on the ward: he is awake but sweaty and shaky, with capillary glucose 2.7 mmol/L. He can swallow safely. What is the most appropriate immediate treatment?