Diabetes ketoacidosis in pregnancy

Euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis in a pregnant woman

Background

Euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis (EDKA) carries serious risks for mortality and morbidity for both the mother and the baby, and it is essential to recognize it early and start immediate treatment.

Case Presentation

We present a case of EDKA in a 28-week pregnant woman known to have type 1 diabetes. She was found to have severe acidosis with a blood sugar level of 10.6 mmol/L (190.8 mg/dL) and normal anion gap. She was found to have EDKA, which was confirmed later with a depressed venous pH and bicarbonate level and an increased serum ketone level. The patient's acidosis was not improving significantly with 0.05 units/kg/h of insulin infusion, so a full dose of 0.1 unit/kg/h of insulin infusion was started following a full diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) protocol regardless of her blood sugar level. The patient showed gradual improvement and was discharged home after 4 days, with follow-up with endocrinology and obstetrics.

Conclusion

In conclusion, EDKA is a critical complication of diabetes, especially in pregnant women. Therefore, it is crucial to treat it early and potentially consider following a full DKA protocol using 0.1 unit/kg/h insulin infusion instead of 0.05 unit/kg/h.

Case Series of Diabetic Ketoacidosis in Late Pregnancy with Normal Glucose Tolerance

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is rare in pregnancy, especially in pregnant women with normal glucose tolerance examined in early pregnancy. Once DKA occurs in pregnancy, the disease progresses rapidly and can be life-threatening for both mother and fetus. We concluded three cases of DKA in late pregnancy. The clinical manifestations, progression, and prognosis of the three cases are different, but all of the cases have normal glucose tolerance. We summarized the characteristics of pregnant women with DKA and analyzed and discussed them in conjunction with literature for reference by clinical doctors.

A Matter of the Heart: Why It Is Time to Change How We Talk About Maternal Mortality

As the global burden of disease shifts from "diseases of poverty" such as diarrhea to "diseases of affluence" like diabetes and heart disease, a parallel shift is underway in maternal health. Maternal death from hemorrhage is decreasing, while deaths resulting from exacerbation of underlying chronic disease are on the rise.

Fetal Doppler monitoring during maternal open-heart surgery: Case report and key aspects of a multidisciplinary challenge

CASE REPORT

Herein we present the case of a 33-year nulliparous woman at 21 weeks of gestation with mitral valve vegetation resulting from infective endocarditis. Due to the mother's critical condition caused by consecutive thromboembolic events, surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass was indicated. During surgery the fetus was monitored by a specialized obstetrician who repetitively measured the Doppler indices of the umbilical artery, Ductus venosus and uterine artery. Right after CO₂ was insufflated into the operating area, the Doppler monitoring showed an increased Pulsatility Index of the Umbilical artery right before fetal distress with bradycardia occurred. A subsequent maternal arterial blood gas analysis showed an acidosis with hypercapnia. Consequently, the CO₂ insufflation was stopped and the gas flow on the Heart Lung Machine increased. After regaining homeostasis of acidosis, the Doppler Indices and fetal heart rate recovered. The remaining surgery and postoperative course were uneventful. At the 37 weeks of gestation a healthy boy was delivered by Cesarean section and at the age of two years, the neurodevelopment was assessed, which indicated normal development in mental cognition, language and motoric. This report presents a periodic Doppler examination of the maternal and fetal circulation during surgery on CPB while also discussing the possible impact of fetal monitoring in managing open cardiac surgery in pregnancy.

Diabetic ketoacidosis in pregnancy

The clinical presentation of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) includes nausea, vomiting, thirst, polyuria, polydipsia, abdominal pain, tachypnoea, and change in mental status in cases of severe DKA. DKA is similar in pregnant and non-pregnant women, but in pregnant women it can be seen at lower serum glucose levels and symptoms may develop more rapidly. Most, but not all, cases occur in the second or third trimester.DKA results in reduction in uteroplacental blood flow due to osmotic diuresis, and also in metabolic abnormalities (maternal acidosis, hyperglycaemia, electrolyte imbalance), resulting in fetal hypoxaemia and acidosis. In fetuses with mature cardiac activity, the fetal heart rate may show minimal or absent variability, repetitive deceleration and absence of acceleration. These abnormalities in heart rate usually resolve with resolution of the DKA, which may last for several hours before normalisation.For the patient reported on here, immediate delivery based on pathological fetal heart rate would have resulted in preterm delivery and jeopardised the maternal clinical condition. However, a holistic clinical approach by the multidisciplinary team to management of the patient led to normal term delivery 5 weeks after presentation with DKA; fetal and maternal outcome were good.

A study of diabetic ketoacidosis in the pregnant population in the United Kingdom: Investigating the incidence, aetiology, management and outcomes

AIM

To estimate the incidence of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) among pregnant women, describe its clinical features, management and outcomes and identify the risk factors for the condition.

METHODS

A national population-based case-control study was conducted in the UK using the UK Obstetric Surveillance System between April 2019 and September 2020 including all pregnant women with DKA irrespective of the level of blood glucose. The incidence rate of DKA in pregnancy was estimated. A case-control analysis limited to women with type 1 diabetes was performed comparing characteristics of women with DKA (cases) to those of women whose pregnancies were not complicated by DKA (controls).

RESULTS

In all, 82 women were identified with DKA in pregnancy; 6.3 per 100,000 maternities (95% CI: 5.0-7.9). No maternal deaths occurred, but perinatal mortality was 12/73 (16%) with 11 stillbirths and one neonatal death. DKA episodes mostly occurred in women with type 1 diabetes (85%) and in the 3^rd trimester of pregnancy (71%). Episodes were mainly precipitated by infection (21%), vomiting (21%), steroid therapy (13%) and medication errors (10%). Fifteen percent of women had more than one episode of DKA during their pregnancy. Risk factors associated with DKA among women with type 1 diabetes identified through the case-control analysis were the woman and/or partner not being in a paid employment and having at least one microvascular complication of diabetes before pregnancy.

CONCLUSION

DKA in pregnancy was associated with high perinatal mortality and was linked with factors related to socio-economic deprivation, mental health problems and long-term difficulties with glycaemic control.

A 10-Year Audit of Pregnancies Affected by Diabetic Ketoacidosis at the Pretoria Academic Complex

BACKGROUND

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) during pregnancy is associated with increased rates of maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity. DKA management guidelines are designed to ensure optimal management and minimise adverse outcomes.

OBJECTIVES

To determine the level of adherence to DKA management guidelines at a tertiary centre in Pretoria, South Africa and report on maternal and perinatal outcomes of the pregnancies complicated by DKA.

METHODS

This was a retrospective clinical record audit using the SEMDSA guidelines against documented management. Adherence to three cornerstones of therapy: intravenous fluids, insulin therapy and management of electrolytes was measured.

RESULTS

Fifty-six records of pregnancies that were complicated with DKA over a 10-year period were reviewed. Mean age was 29.6 years (range 20-43). Thirty-six (64.3%) women had Type 1 diabetes mellitus. DKA was categorised into mild (n=26, 46.4%), moderate (n=22, 39.3%) and severe (n=8, 14.3%). The study demonstrated lack of adherence to the three cornerstones of therapy. Of the 49 (85.7%) women with recorded perinatal outcomes, 30.6% had stillbirths. Severe maternal DKA (pH < 7.0) demonstrated adverse perinatal outcomes (p=0.005).

CONCLUSION

Despite the availability of guidelines, DKA is sub-optimally manged in pregnancy which may contribute to adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes.

Awareness of euglycaemic diabetic ketoacidosis during pregnancy prevents recurrence of devastating outcomes: a case report of two pregnancies in one patient

Background

Euglycaemic diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) during pregnancy is a life-threatening obstetric emergency. It requires early identification and prompt action. Obstetricians’ knowledge about symptoms, diagnostic pitfalls and management during pregnancy and delivery need to be improved. We report a case of a young diabetic woman developing severe euglycaemic DKA in two consecutive pregnancies; the first pregnancy resulted in the most deviating outcome (i.e., intrauterine death), while the second pregnancy resulted in the delivery of a healthy newborn. Thus, the novelty of the case presented here is the possibility to demonstrate how the management of DKA in pregnancy can dramatically change outcomes.

Case presentation

We report a case of a young diabetic woman in whom DKA was concealed by hyperemesis and oesophageal reflux. This woman presented to our delivery unit with severe euglycaemic DKA during her first pregnancy. While the mother’s condition could be successfully stabilized, the foetus died shortly after admission. Two years later, the same woman presented with similar problems. Repeated episodes of mild euglycaemic DKA could be successfully managed with consequent interdisciplinary treatment and close observation, leading to a good pregnancy outcome, i.e., the birth of a healthy child.

Conclusion

Awareness of euglycaemic DKA needs to be increased to reduce the risk of severe complications during pregnancies in diabetic women. This case report demonstrates that increased awareness of DKA with immediate recognition and a successful multidisciplinary approach are mandatory for an positive pregnancy outcomes.

Microwave-assisted synthesis of hierarchically porous Co3O4/rGO nanocomposite for low-temperature acetone detection

Acetone sensors with high response and excellent selectivity are of enormous demand for monitoring the diabetes. This paper has reported a novel porous 3D hierarchical Co₃O₄/rGO nanocomposite synthesized by a microwave-assisted method, by which Co₃O₄ nanoparticles are rapidly and uniformly anchored on rGO nanosheets. The phase composition, surface morphology of the Co₃O₄/rGO composites and the effect of rGO on their acetone-sensing performance were systematically investigated. The results show that the sample with an optimized content of rGO (Co₃O₄/rGO-1) achieves the highest stability and response to acetone (0.5 ~ 200 ppm) at a relatively low temperature (~160 °C). Also, the Co₃O₄/rGO-1 exhibits a high acetone-sensing selectivity against the gases (or vapors) of H₂S, H₂, CH₄, HCHO, CH₃OH, C₃H₈O and C₂H₅OH. The enhanced acetone-sensing performance of the Co₃O₄/rGO composite can be attributed to the Co₃O₄/rGO p-p heterojunction and the Co³⁺-C coupling effect between Co₃O₄ and rGO, improving transport of carriers. In addition, the unique 3D hierarchically porous structure and large surface areas are favorable to adsorption and desorption of gas molecules. This facile microwave-assisted method provides a charming strategy to develop smart rGO-based nanomaterials for real-time detection of harmful gases and rapid medical diagnosis.

Controversies in antenatal corticosteroid treatment

Antenatal corticosteroids are now established as one of the cornerstones of therapy in the prevention of neonatal morbidity and mortality prior to preterm birth. Although this practice is widely accepted, a significant number of controversies exist. This review explores the knowledge gaps regarding the use of antenatal corticosteroids in the preterm, late preterm and term populations. Furthermore, the role of antenatal corticosteroids in special populations, such as diabetes, multiple pregnancies and periviable gestations, where high-quality data from randomized controlled trials are lacking, is also considered.

Euglycemic Diabetic Ketoacidosis in Pregnancy

The clinical presentation of diabetic ketoacidosis in pregnancy (DKP) is similar to that observed in nonpregnant women, although reports suggest the presenting blood glucose level may not be as high. It is hypothesized that lower, maternal fasting glucose levels are a result of both the fetus and the placenta consuming glucose. We report the case of a 38-year-old woman gravida 2, para 0, abortion 1 with type 1 diabetes who had euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis and review the literature on DKP, with a focus on diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of the mother and fetus.

Development of an acetone sensor using nanostructured Co3O4 thin films for exhaled breath analysis

In recent times, the development of breath sensors for the detection of Diabetic Keto-Acidosis (DKA) has been gaining prominent importance in the field of health care and advanced diagnostics. Acetone is one of the prominent biomarkers in the exhaled breath of persons affected by DKA. In this background, nanostructured cobalt oxide sensing elements were fabricated using a spray pyrolysis technique at different deposition temperatures (473 to 773 K in steps of 100 K) towards the fabrication of an acetone sensor. The influence of deposition temperature on the various properties of the nanostructured cobalt oxide thin films was investigated. Formation of cubic spinel phase cobalt oxide was confirmed from the structural analysis. The shifting of plane orientation from (3 1 1) to (2 2 0) at 773 K deposition temperature revealed the migration of cobalt atoms to the highly favorable energy positions. Further, the downshifted peak absorption wavelength and upshifted PL profile at higher deposition temperature confirmed the migration of cobalt ions. The sensor fabricated at higher deposition temperature (773 K) showed a sensing response of 235 at room temperature towards 50 ppm of acetone. Also, the fabricated sensor showed a lower detection limit (LOD) of 1 ppm with the response–recovery times of 6 and 4 s, respectively. The LOD reported here is lower than the minimum threshold level (1.71 ppm) signifying the presence of DKA.

We report the fabrication of a breath sensor using nanostructured Co₃O₄ thin films for the detection of acetone in exhaled breath, which is one of the prominent bio-markers of Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA).

Euglycemic Diabetic Ketoacidosis in the ICU: 3 Case Reports and Review of Literature

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is an acute complication of diabetes mellitus, both type I and type II, as well as other types with diabetes such gestacional diabetes mellitus. It is characterized by blood glucose levels greater than 250 mg/dL and metabolic acidosis (pH < 7.3 and serum bicarbonate < 15 mEq/dL) with an increased anion gap and the presence of ketone bodies in the blood or urine. Within this pathology, there is a subgroup of pathologies which are characterized by being present with no signs of hyperglycemia, posing a diagnostic challenge due to the absence of the main sign of the pathology and the diversity of their pathophysiology. In this article, we will present 3 clinical cases with 3 different forms of clinical presentation: a case of DKA in pregnancy, a case of DKA associated with the use of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors, and a third case related to sepsis, together with a narrative review of the literature on the topic.

Clinical study of pregnancy-associated fulminant type 1 diabetes

BACKGROUND

Studies reported that fulminant type 1 diabetes (fT1DM) can occurred during pregnancy or within 2 weeks after delivery, and was defined as pregnancy-associated fulminant type 1 diabetes (PF). In PF patients, plasma glucose (PG) levels have an abrupt rise while glycated hemoglobin (HbA_1C) levels are not markedly elevated, resulting in a sharply increased PG/HbA_1C ratio.

METHODS

We studied 30 PF patients, 21 non-pregnant fulminant type 1 diabetes (NPF) patients, and 26 female patients of child-bearing age (13-49 years) with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), all from China. We analyzed the PG/HbA_1C ratio among these groups, with the goal of finding a method for predicting PF. The clinical and biochemical characteristics of the PF and NPF patients were analyzed and compared with the characteristics of the DKA patients. In order to detect PF in DKA patients, receiver-operating characteristic curves analysis was used to identify the cut-off points of the PG/HbA_1C ratio.

RESULTS

When we compared the clinical characteristics of these three groups, we found that the onset of hyperglycemic symptoms, arterial PH value, serum potassium, PG, HbA_1C, fasting and postprandial serum C-peptide concentration, glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) antibodies positivity were all significantly different (P < 0.001). The PG/HbA_1C ratio was significantly higher in PF and NPF patients (5.29 ± 1.39 and 6.38 ± 2.62) than in DKA patients (1.93 ± 0.55; P < 0.001). Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves analyses showed that PG/HbA_1C ratio at a cut-off value of 3.3 resulted in the highest Youden index, with corresponding sensitivity of 93 and 100% specificity for identifying PF from DKA.

CONCLUSIONS

PF patients showed a more severe acidosis, with maternal and fetal mortality rates being high. PG/HbA_1C ratio with a threshold of ≥3.3 can be used as a cut-off point in predicting PF from DKA in China. Elevated PG/HbA_1C ratio at the time of diagnosis is predictive for more severe insulin secretion dysfunction and poor prognosis.

Diabetic ketoacidosis among pregnant and non-pregnant women: a comparison of morbidity and mortality

PURPOSE

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a critical diagnosis that can cause severe morbidity and mortality in the diabetic population. Although it is rare in pregnancy, the aim of this study is to compare DKA in pregnant women with age-matched non-pregnant women to determine if outcomes are influenced by pregnancy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A population-based age-matched retrospective cohort was carried out using data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Nationwide Inpatient Sample from 1999 to 2013. Pregnant patients with DKA were age-matched with non-pregnant controls also admitted with DKA at a ratio of 1:10. Severe morbidities and mortality were compared among the two groups. Logistic regression was used to adjust for baseline characteristics and comorbidities.

RESULTS

We identified 4661 cases of DKA in pregnancy during our study period, which were age-matched to 46,610 non-pregnant controls. Pregnant women with DKA were more likely to stay in hospital for >3 d (odds ratios (OR) 2.15, 95% CI 2.06-2.25) and had more associated renal failure (OR 2.86, 95% CI 1.76-4.55); however, they were less likely to require ventilation (OR 0.70, 95% CI 0.62-0.79), experience systemic inflammatory response syndrome (OR 0.53, 95% CI 0.38-0.73), or seizures (OR 0.49, 95% CI 0.42-0.57). Among pregnant women, rates of coma (0.04%) and death (0.17%, OR 0.23, 95% CI 0.14-0.39) were lower than previously reported and lower than non-pregnant women.

CONCLUSION

Pregnant women with DKA are admitted to hospital for longer periods than non-pregnant controls and are at higher risk for renal failure but otherwise have better outcomes and less mortality than non-pregnant controls.

Diabetic ketoacidosis complicating pregnancy

BACKGROUND

Although diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) in pregnancy can result in significant adverse consequences for both mother and fetus, the response to treatment, time course of recovery, and perinatal outcomes have not been well studied in pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE

We examined the precipitating factors, laboratory abnormalities, treatment strategies, and clinical recovery in pregnancies complicated by DKA.

STUDY DESIGN

This is a retrospective cohort study of pregnancies complicated by DKA between October 1999 and June 2015. The diagnosis was verified by hyperglycemia; anion gap >12 mEq/L, pH <7.3, HCO3 <15 mEq/L; and the presence of ketones. Each episode of DKA was reviewed and subsequent perinatal outcomes analyzed.

RESULTS

During this period, we identified 33 women with 40 admissions (incidence: 0.2%). The majority of women had type 1 diabetes (67%), and almost all presented with nausea and vomiting (97%). Over half had poor compliance with prescribed insulin. The initial mean blood glucose was 380 mg/dL, within 6 hours, it was <200 mg/dL. By 12 hours, the acidosis had resolved in 90% of patients.

CONCLUSION

Nausea and vomiting is a prominent presenting feature of DKA in pregnancy. With aggressive insulin and resuscitation, hyperglycemia and acidosis improve rapidly. With current treatment, good perinatal outcomes can be expected.

Normoglycemic Diabetic Ketoacidosis in a Pregnant Patient with Type II Diabetes Mellitus Presenting for Emergent Cesarean Delivery

The development of acute abdominal pain in a laboring parturient after a previous cesarean delivery is of concern and may be the result of a potentially life-threatening condition such as uterine rupture. We present a case of a parturient with type II diabetes mellitus, who had undergone 2 previous cesarean deliveries and now presented in labor with increasing abdominal pain. An emergency cesarean delivery was performed for probable uterine rupture. Intraoperatively, the patient was noted to be severely hypocarbic with significant metabolic acidosis, and the diagnosis of diabetic ketoacidosis was established.