Diabetes Ketoacidosis

Diabetes ketoacidosis is a form of metabolic acidosis that results when insulin deficit causes fat stores to break down, therefore releasing fatty acids and ketones. The causes of diabetes ketoacidosis is untreated type 1 diabetes mellitus, lack of insulin which leads to hyperglycemia and keto acid accumulation which causes metabolic acidosis. Signs and symptoms of diabetic ketoacidosis include fatigue (patient had), confusion, coma, polyuria secondary to high blood glucose, hypotension, anorexia (patient has), nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and altered level of consciousness, and poor skin tugor/dry mucous membranes. To diagnosis for diabetic ketoacidosis an arterial blood gas is drawn that shows a plasma pH of <7.3, plasma bicarbonate <15 mEq/L, and decreased PaC02. Additionally, a fingerstick blood glucose shows a level higher than 300 (patients blood glucose was 688), and a urine sample shows ketones in the urine. A blood test would also show that there are ketones in the blood.