HHS (A.K.A. HONK) is a diabetic emergency, but unlike DKA we don’t always think about it.
Patients with HHS are often elderly with multiple co-morbidities, and they are always very sick.
When patients sent in by GP “” – how much do you do?
* Examples of High Risk Patients: Dialysis, Renal Transplant, CKD under renal team. Previous Hyperkalaemia.
** All patients being discharged need to be discussed or seen by a Tier 3+ level Dr who will assign themselves to the patient. Put the Diagnoses as ‘No abnormality Detected’ AND ‘Potassium Level.’
Patients POC results, ECG and PMH reviewed.
Make sure the patients contact number is correct. Inform them if their lab result comes back high then we will contact them. OPer them the choice if the result is normal – would they like a phone call or not. Add their choice to the bubble I.e ‘no call’ ‘wants call’
Move the patient to the ‘Streaming’ Tab and record the time they left in the bubble. Once the lab result is back, if it is raised then recall the patient for treatment. If it is normal then discharge from the system ensuring to put the discharge time as when they left the department.
If the lab sample haemolyses – The decision to recall is at the discretion of the Tier 3+ doctor.
This pathway has been created as a guide to help reduce the investigation burden and length of stay of patients with pseudo-hyperkalaemia. The purpose of having an Tier 3+ level doctor responsible for these patients is they can make a quick global assessment of the patient and decide whether the patient is high risk and if the streaming pathway is appropriate, rather than relying on a regimented list of conditions or parameters.
In hours this should be done by the front door doctor. Out of hours Tier 1/2 doctors can still see these patients but they should then be discussed with a Tier 3+ Doctor.
Thanks to Dr Stuart Mitchell
Hyponatraema is a common finding, especially within our elderly population. However, its significance is is not a simple numbers game, and needs senior input. Prior to treatment the following need to be considered and balanced.
Some patients present to ED with symptoms or investigations suspicious an undiagnosed cancer, but don’t require emergency admission. To reduce the barriers to care the trust has implemented a referral route for ED.
Ensure you include a valid e-mail address on the referral form. The Patient Pathway team will acknowledge receipt of your referral via e-mail within 2 working days. If you do not receive this e-mail, please escalate to the EPIC
Once completed the PPC team will review the request and feed them into either “Fast-Track Clinics” if further workup required or MDT’s if fits those pathways.
This should allow our patients quick access to appropriate clinics, without the inherent delays and wasted clinical time of asking the patient to attend their GP. BMA/NHSe
Remember: is it a haemolysed blood sample? (you can do an iSTAT)
Severity
For many conditions the patient should be informed to stop driving and inform the DVLA of their condition. It is the patients responsibility to inform the DVLA, and we should encourage them to do so.
[There is a £1000 fine AND the risk of prosecution] Read more
An elderly patient attends the ED with difficulty mobilising, Nursing staff tell you that the patient needs a CT head for STROKE? – “They are really unsteady if they try to stand and they can’t lift their arms up”. Read more
Adrenal crisis or insufficiency is a life threatening emergency due to the lack of glucocorticoid. Adrenal crisis can be primary due to destruction of the adrenal cortex (Addison’s), or secondary due to down regulation (chronic steroid use) Read more
Hypernatraemia is a not a common presentation in ED, as intense thirst often prevents significant hypernatraemia in neurologically intact individuals. So… Mortality rates are high (20-70%) and the severity of hypernatraemia has been shown be an independent predictor of mortality.
However, there is little good data on hypernatremia to base guidance on, and definitions vary within the literature
