A 35-year-old male patient was admitted to the hospital from anautomobile accident. The patient was disoriented, complained ofshortness of breath and his breath smelled fruity.
Some initial lab tests were performed and the results are asfollows:
Hgb = 13.2 g/dL; HCT = 40%
Na+ = 137 mEq/L; K+ = 3.3 mEq/L
Glucose = 655 mg/dL; BUN = 20 mg/dL; LD = 400 U/L
Possible diabetes/diabetic ketoacidosis diagnosis
4) If your initial diagnosis is correct, whatcomplication may be occurring based on his symptoms?
5) What other tests would you order to look for thiscomplication AND why?
6) If the pH of the above patient’s blood gases was7.32, what would your final diagnosis be?
7) If the patient’s blood pH was 6.89, what clinicalsignificance would the result have relative to the patient’sclinical condition?
