Rates of Hypoglycemia with Reduced- vs. Standard-Dose Insulin for Hyperkalemia Treatment in Renal Insufficiency

Objective: The primary objective was to assess the difference in rates of hypoglycemia (blood glucose (BG) <=70 mG/dL) when using reduced-dose (5 units) vs. standard-dose (10 units) of IV regular insulin for hyperkalemia treatment in renal insufficiency. Secondary objectives include the efficacy of insulin dose on potassium reduction and evaluating the difference in rates of severe hypoglycemia (BG <=54 mG/dL) between the groups. Method(s): This was a retrospective chart review of patients with renal insufficiency treated with IV regular insulin for hyperkalemia at a tertiary care teaching hospital from June 2020 to June 2021, with institutional review board approval. Inclusion criteria encompassed patients aged 18 years and older with elevated baseline potassium (>=5.5 mEq/L), estimated glomerular filtration rate < 30 mL/min/1.73m2, end stage renal disease, or presence of acute kidney injury, having received either 5 or 10 units of IV regular insulin for hyperkalemia, and had documented glucose and potassium levels after insulin administration. Patients who were pregnant, had diabetic ketoacidosis, or a baseline BG <=70 mG/dL were excluded. Data collection included patient demographics, diabetes history, relevant labs at time of elevated potassium, doses of insulin and dextrose administered for hyperkalemia treatment, presence of coronavirus-19 infection, glucose levels within 6 hours and first potassium level within 24 hours following insulin administration, concurrent use of potassium-lowering agents, insulin outside of hyperkalemia treatment, or steroids, and mortality. Result(s): Out of 409 patients included, 92 were in the 10-unit group and 317 in the 5-unit group. The rate of hypoglycemia in the 5-unit arm vs. the 10-unit arm was 6.9% vs. 8.7% (p=0.649), respectively. The rate of severe hypoglycemia between the 5-unit arm and the 10-unit arm was 3.2% vs 5.4% (p=0.682), respectively. The percent normalization of potassium was not statistically different between the 5-unit group and the 10-unit group (59% vs. 68%;p=0.115), with the same mean reduction in potassium from baseline (0.8 mEq/L (p=0.947)). Administration of concurrent treatments for hyperkalemia was similar between the groups, with dialysis being the only one with statistical significance in normalization of potassium. Patient characteristics that could have an impact on risk of hypoglycemia were studied and analyzed, including pre-treatment BG, history of diabetes mellitus, insulin naive, and patient weight. In patients with hypoglycemia (n=30) vs. those without hypoglycemia (n=379), there was a significantly different mean pre-treatment BG (113 mG/dL vs. 178 mG/dL, p<0.001). Discussion/Conclusion: There was no significant difference in rates of hypoglycemia and severe hypoglycemia between the 5-unit vs. 10-unit groups. There was no significant change in potassium normalization between the two insulin doses. Because of the small number of hypoglycemia events, larger studies are needed to better understand if 5 units of regular insulin is a safer option for the treatment of hyperkalemia in renal insufficiency.Copyright © 2023

BETA BLOCKER AND CALCIUM CHANNEL BLOCKER OVERDOSE COMPLICATED BY COVID-19 PNEUMONIA AND RENAL FAILURE IN A PATIENT WITH SEVERE OBESITY

SESSION TITLE: A Look Into Poisoning and Drug Overdoses SESSION TYPE: Rapid Fire Case Reports PRESENTED ON: 10/18/2022 12:25 pm - 01:25 pm INTRODUCTION: We present a case of a 64-year-old woman with severe obesity (BMI 53) who presented with shock after beta-blocker (BB) and calcium channel-blocker (CCB) overdose. CASE PRESENTATION: The patient presented after an intentional suicide attempt, taking multiple antihypertensive medications, including tablets of nifedipine 90mg, carvedilol 25mg, and losartan 100mg. She had also been experiencing shortness of breath and lower extremity pain for several days. Upon arrival, she was lethargic and minimally responsive, and was found to be in shock with a heart rate 63. She was intubated for airway protection and started on multiple vasopressors including norepinephrine, phenylephrine, vasopressin, dopamine and epinephrine for circulatory support. She was also found to be positive for SARS-CoV-2. She was given activated charcoal, received gastric lavage, and whole bowel irrigation. She received a bolus of regular insulin at 1U/kg, and subsequently started on a high-dose insulin infusion titrated to 11U/kg/h along with dextrose infusion and calcium gluconate. By day four of admission, vasopressor requirements had been reduced to only norepinephrine and the insulin infusion had been successfully discontinued. However, her hospital course was further complicated MRSA and Pseudomonas pneumonia, and renal failure requiring hemodialysis. She continued to develop refractory shock, and remained over 50 liters net positive. Her condition progressively deteriorated and her gross volume overload was difficult to manage, and ultimately expired on day ten of admission. DISCUSSION: The management of CCB and BB overdose has been studied, with hyperinsulinemic euglycemic therapy (HIET)1,2 as our choice. Our patient's decline was likely secondary to the high volumes of dextrose infusion required after HIET. With underlying renal failure, insulin clearance proved to be a significant challenge. Such severe obesity with a weight-based regimen resulted in over 1500U insulin/hr at any given point with our patient. Renal clearance is governed by a proportion of t/V, where t denotes length of a dialysis session and V the volume of fluid in the patient's body.3 Patients with significant volume would require extensive dialysis sessions and fluid balances would be challenging. Continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) was attempted later in her hospital course. However, the patient was not able to tolerate it as she had progressed to multiorgan failure. CONCLUSIONS: HIET has shown to be a successful management strategy for CCB and BB overdose. However, weight-based dosing can prove to be a challenge in patients with severe obesity. CRRT should be considered early in severely obese patients that undergo HIET, given the rapid accumulation of fluid secondary to the large-volume insulin and dextrose infusions. Further investigations should look into identifying maximal safe dosages of HIET, especially in severely obese patients. Reference #1: Cole JB, Arens AM, Laes JR, Klein LR, Bangh SA, Olives TD. High dose insulin for beta-blocker and calcium channel-blocker poisoning. Am J Emerg Med. 2018 Oct;36(10):1817-1824. doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2018.02.004 Reference #2: Krenz JR, Kaakeh Y. An Overview of Hyperinsulinemic-Euglycemic Therapy in Calcium Channel Blocker and β-blocker Overdose. Pharmacotherapy. 2018 Nov;38(11):1130-1142. doi: 10.1002/phar.2177 Reference #3: Turgut F, Abdel-Rahman E, M: Challenges Associated with Managing End-Stage Renal Disease in Extremely Morbid Obese Patients: Case Series and Literature Review. Nephron 2017;137:172-177. doi: 10.1159/000479118 DISCLOSURES: No relevant relationships by Alejandro Garcia No relevant relationships by Vishad Sheth no disclosure on file for Andre Sotelo;

Persistent hiccup as initial clinical manifestation of SARS-CoV-2 infection

SARS-CoV-2 infection usually manifests as an acute respiratory syndrome, characterized by fever, cough, sore throat and dyspnea. Nonetheless, since the beginning of the pandemic in December 2019, less frequent initial symptoms were reported, as the sudden appearance of hiccups (singultus). We describe a clinical case of a 62-year-old male with a medical history of arterial hypertension, diabetes and chronic cardiac insufficiency, who complained of persistent hiccups as initial manifestation of COVID-19, followed by respiratory symptoms. After the SARS-CoV-2 infection diagnosis was made, the patient was hospitalized, receiving the corresponding treat-ment. The singultus partially improved with dopaminergic antagonists and it disappeared on the sixth day of hospitalization. Glycemic correction with regular insulin was required. He presented a favorable outcome, being discharged after 14 days of hospitalization.

Management of hyperglycaemia in patients treated with dexamethasone for COVID-19

Background: The use of dexamethasone has resulted in lower mortality for patients receiving oxygen or invasive mechanical ventilation. It is a first-line treatment for coronavirus disease 209 (COVID-19). However, COVID-19 and dexamethasone both increase the risk of hyperglycaemia (shown to increase COVID-19 morbidity and mortality) and increase the risk of hyperglycaemic emergencies. Aim: To improve management of hyperglycaemia secondary to COVID-19 and dexamethasone use in patients with and without pre-existing diabetes by implementing the Concise Advice on Inpatient Diabetes guidelines at a tertiary centre. Methods: 111 patients from respiratory wards were included in a quality improvement project (QIP) over a period of 0 weeks. Outcome measures included frequency of blood glucose monitoring, appropriate ketone assessment and guideline-concordant management of hyperglycaemia. Plan-Do-Study-Act methodology was used, and interventions included posters, education of nursing staff and junior doctors, and discussion at the departmental meeting. Results: By the end of the QIP there was a 33% increase from baseline in individuals having 6-hourly capillary blood glucose monitoring in the first 48 hours. Management of hyperglycaemia also improved with a 40% increase from baseline in individuals receiving acute correction with insulin and a 2 % increase from baseline in individuals having regular insulin started or adjusted. Conclusion: Both COVID-19 and its treatment increase the risk of hyperglycaemia with consequent morbidity and mortality implications. This QIP improved hyperglycaemia management through guideline implementation. This shows that guideline compliance can enable better patient care. Further system-wide work is required for sustainability.