Diabetic ketoacidosis - Treating diabetic ketoacidosis

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is usually treated in hospital.

Depending on how advanced your symptoms are you may be admitted to a standard ward, a high dependency ward or an intensive care unit (ICU).

Diabetic ketoacidosis is treated using a combination of:

• insulin (usually pumped into a vein) 
• fluids pumped directly into a vein to rehydrate your body 
• replacement of minerals, such as potassium, which may have been lost through vomiting and other treatment of diabetic ketoacidosis 

If someone with diabetic ketoacidosis is unconscious, a feeding tube can be used to remove stomach contents and stop them breathing in vomit. Urine can be drained out of the bladder using a thin tube called a catheter.

As long as there are no complications, you should be able to leave hospital when you are well enough to eat and drink normally and tests show no, or few, ketones left in your body.

Before or shortly after being discharged from hospital, your diabetes nurse will discuss why you had an episode of diabetic ketoacidosis so a plan can be put in place to prevent future episodes.

For example, if diabetic ketoacidosis was caused by an illness, you'll need a 'sick day plan' so you can adjust your insulin dosage accordingly.

If diabetic ketoacidosis occurred as a result of missing an insulin treatment, you'll need to discuss the reasons for this and whether there's anything that can be done to make insulin therapy more convenient.