Not your average sugar rush: EMS strategies for DKA

This week on the Inside EMS podcast, hosts Chris Cebollero and Kelly Grayson tackle a metabolic monster that every EMS provider needs to master: diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). They kick off with a common (but critical) 911 scenario: a 19-year-old with a history of Type 1 diabetes, confusion, vomiting and a blood sugar of 500. Sound familiar?

Kelly dives into the physiology of DKA, explaining how glucose can be sky-high while cells starve, triggering fat breakdown and ketone production that spirals into life-threatening acidosis. The hosts hit the must-know pathophysiology, signs and symptoms (hello, Kussmaul breathing!), and what providers often miss — like dehydration, vomiting and abdominal pain.

They break down how to spot DKA with capnography and EKG changes, especially when hyperkalemia mimics a STEMI. From EMS management tips (don’t shut down those fast respirations!) to fluid resuscitation caveats, this is a crash course in saving DKA patients before they crash.

Whether you’re running calls or managing chronic patients, this episode arms you with the clinical know-how and common-sense insight to handle DKA with confidence.

Memorable quotes

•  “We're starting to see more increasing calls for type one diabetes, insulin-dependent type two diabetes ... and we need to be able to understand what we're doing. — Chris Cebollero

• “One of the big clues in the scenario is the vomiting. Lots of DKA patients will have vomiting and abdominal pain.” — Kelly Grayson

• “A lot of times, these hyperkalemia patients and these acidotic patients are going to be handled just fine by correcting their fluid deficits and correcting their glucose with an insulin drip. Just getting their glucose back down to normal level is going to manage the lion's share of the hyperkalemia.” — Kelly Grayson

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