The Effects of Prehospital Care on Outcome in Pediatric Diabetic Ketoacidosis

Objective: Despite the guidelines, significant variations can be encountered in initial therapy for pediatric diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) in the prehospital setting. These variations occur mostly in fluid administration, insulin dosing, route of administration, and other aspects of the initial resuscitation and stabilization. The aim was to identify the effect of transport care on outcomes in children with DKA admitted to the emergency department (ED).
Methods: Patients admitted to a tertiary-care pediatric ED between 2015-2019 with a diagnosis of DKA were retrospectively identified. Details of pre-pediatric ED care, including transport modality, patient demographics, clinical features, laboratory evaluation, fluid therapy, insulin dosing, and short-term outcome were recorded.
Results: The study cohort included 147 episodes of DKA in 136 patients aged 9 months-21 years. Emergency Medical Service (EMS) transported only 37.4% of cases. EMS utilization rate was significantly higher (p=0.003) in severe cases, most of whom were >10 years (p=0.04). During transport 85% received intravenous fluid bolus. Use of fluids other than normal saline was significantly higher when transport time was >30 minutes (p=0.001). Acute kidney injury and cerebral edema developed in 21.7% and 7.4% of episodes, respectively. These complications were more common in the EMS transport group. Pediatric intensive care admission rate was also higher in the EMS compared to the non-EMS group (p=0.01)
Conclusion: Parents did not call the ambulance for most cases although a higher complication rate occurred in EMS patients. EMS providers and referral facilities should improve their knowledge of pediatric DKA.