Chapter 51: Assessment and Management of Patients With Diabetes

A client has just been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. When teaching the client and family how diet and exercise affect insulin requirements, the nurse should include which guideline?

"You'll need less insulin when you exercise or reduce your food intake." The nurse should advise the client that exercise, reduced food intake, hypothyroidism, and certain medications decrease insulin requirements. Growth, pregnancy, greater food intake, stress, surgery, infection, illness, increased insulin antibodies, and certain medications increase insulin requirements.

A nurse explains to a client that she will administer his first insulin dose in his abdomen. How does absorption at the abdominal site compare with absorption at other sites?

Insulin is absorbed more rapidly at abdominal injection sites than at other sites. Subcutaneous insulin is absorbed most rapidly at abdominal injection sites, more slowly at sites on the arms, and slowest at sites on the anterior thigh. Absorption after injection in the buttocks is less predictable.

The nurse is describing the action of insulin in the body to a client newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Which of the following would the nurse explain as being the primary action?

It enhances the transport of glucose across the cell membrane. Insulin carries glucose into body cells as their preferred source of energy. Besides, it promotes the liver's storage of glucose as glycogen and inhibits the breakdown of glycogen back into glucose. Insulin does not aid in gluconeogenesis but inhibits the breakdown of glycogen back into glucose.

A client with diabetes is receiving an oral anti diabetic agent that acts to help the tissues use available insulin more efficiently. Which of the following agents would the nurse expect to administer?

Metformin Metformin is a biguanide and, along with the thiazolidinediones (rosiglitazone and pioglitazone), are categorized as insulin sensitizers; they help tissues use available insulin more efficiently. Glyburide and glipizide, which are sulfonylureas, and repaglinide, a meglitinide, are described as being insulin releasers because they stimulate the pancreas to secrete more insulin.

The nurse is administering an insulin drip to a patient in ketoacidosis. What insulin does the nurse know is the only one that can be used intravenously?

Regular Short-acting insulins are called regular insulin (marked R on the bottle). Regular insulin is a clear solution and is usually administered 20 to 30 minutes before a meal, either alone or in combination with a longer-acting insulin. Regular insulin is the only insulin approved for IV use.

A patient has been newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and the nurse is assisting with the development of a meal plan. What step should be taken into consideration prior to making the meal plan?

Reviewing the patient's diet history to identify eating habits and lifestyle and cultural eating patterns The first step in preparing a meal plan is a thorough review of the patient's diet history to identify eating habits and lifestyle and cultural eating patterns.

After being sick for 3 days, a client with a history of diabetes mellitus is admitted to the hospital with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). The nurse should evaluate which diagnostic test results to prevent dysrhythmias?

Serum potassium level The nurse should monitor the client's potassium level because during periods of acidosis, potassium leaves the cell, causing hyperkalemia. As blood glucose levels normalize with treatment, potassium reenters the cell, causing hypokalemia if levels aren't monitored closely. Hypokalemia places the client at risk for cardiac arrhythmias such as ventricular tachycardia. DKA has a lesser affect on serum calcium, sodium, and chloride levels. Changes in these levels don't typically cause cardiac arrhythmias.

A client with type 2 diabetes asks the nurse why he can't have a pancreatic transplant. Which of the following would the nurse include as a possible reason?

Underlying problem of insulin resistance Clients with type 2 diabetes are not offered the option of a pancreas transplant because their problem is insulin resistance, which does not improve with a transplant. Urologic complications or the need for exocrine enzymatic drainage are not reasons for not offering pancreas transplant to clients with type 2 diabetes. Any transplant requires lifelong immunosuppressive drug therapy and is not the factor.

When administering insulin to a client with type 1 diabetes, which of the following would be most important for the nurse to keep in mind?

accuracy of the dosage The measurement of insulin is most important and must be accurate because clients may be sensitive to minute dose changes. The duration, area, and technique for injecting should also to be noted.

A patient who is 6 months' pregnant was evaluated for gestational diabetes mellitus. The doctor considered prescribing insulin based on the serum glucose result of:

138 mg/dL, 2 hours postprandial. The goals for a 2-hour, postprandial blood glucose level are less than 120 mg/dL in a patient who might develop gestational diabetes.

A client with type 1 diabetes must undergo bowel resection in the morning. How should the nurse proceed while caring for him on the morning of surgery?

Administer half of the ordered morning insulin If the nurse administers the client's normal daily dose of insulin while he's on nothing-by-mouth status before surgery, he'll experience hypoglycemia. Therefore, the nurse should administer half the daily insulin dose as ordered. Oral antidiabetic agents aren't effective for type 1 diabetes. I.V. insulin infusions aren't necessary to manage blood glucose levels in clients undergoing routine surgery.

A client is admitted to the health care center with abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. The medical reports indicate a history of type 1 diabetes. The nurse suspects the client's symptoms to be those of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). Which action will help the nurse confirm the diagnosis?

Assess the clients breath odor DKA is commonly preceded by a day or more of polyuria, polydipsia, nausea, vomiting, and fatigue, with eventual stupor and coma if not treated. The breath has a characteristic fruity odor due to the presence of ketoacids. Checking the client's breath will help the nurse confirm the diagnosis.

Which clinical characteristic is associated with type 2 diabetes (previously referred to as non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus)?

Blood glucose can be controlled through diet and excersise Oral hypoglycemic agents may improve blood glucose concentrations if dietary modification and exercise are unsuccessful. Individuals with type 2 diabetes are usually obese at diagnosis. Individuals with type 2 diabetes rarely demonstrate ketosis, except with stress or infection. Individuals with type 2 diabetes do not demonstrate islet cell antibodies.

Which may be a potential cause of hypoglycemia in the client diagnosed with diabetes mellitus?

The client has not eaten but continues to take insulin or oral antidiabetic medications. Hypoglycemia occurs when a client with diabetes is not eating and continues to take insulin or oral antidiabetic medications. Hypoglycemia does not occur when the client has not been compliant with the prescribed treatment regimen. If the client has eaten and has not taken or received insulin, diabetic ketoacidosis is more likely to develop.

Which instruction about insulin administration should a nurse give to a client?

"Always follow the same order when drawing the different insulins into the syringe." The nurse should instruct the client to always follow the same order when drawing the different insulins into the syringe. Insulin should never be shaken because the resulting froth prevents withdrawal of an accurate dose and may damage the insulin protein molecules. Insulin should never be frozen because the insulin protein molecules may be damaged. The client doesn't need to discard intermediate-acting insulin if it's cloudy; this finding is normal.

Which information should be included in the teaching plan for a client receiving glargine, a "peakless" basal insulin?

Do not mix with other insulin Because glargine is in a suspension with a pH of 4, it cannot be mixed with other insulins because this would cause precipitation. When administering glargine insulin, it is very important to read the label carefully and to avoid mistaking Lantus insulin for Lente insulin and vice versa.

After teaching a client with type 1 diabetes who is scheduled to undergo an islet cell transplant, which client statement indicates successful teaching?

I might need insulin later on but not as much or as often Transplanted islet cells tend to lose their ability to function over time, and approximately 70% of recipients resume insulin administration in 2 years. However, the amount of insulin and the frequency of its administration are reduced because of improved control of blood glucose levels. Thus, this type of transplant doesn't cure diabetes. It requires the use of two human pancreases to obtain sufficient numbers of islet cells for transplantation. A whole organ transplant requires a means for exocrine enzyme drainage and venous absorption of insulin.

Which statement indicates that a client with diabetes mellitus understands proper foot care?

I will ear cotton socks and well fitting shoes The client demonstrates understanding of proper foot care if he states that he'll wear cotton socks with well-fitting shoes because cotton socks wick moisture away from the skin, helping to prevent fungal infections, and well-fitting shoes help avoid pressure areas. Aching isn't a common sign of foot problems; however, a tingling sensation in the feet indicates neurovascular changes. Injecting insulin into the foot may lead to infection. The client shouldn't go barefoot. Doing so can cause injury.

The nurse is explaining glycosylated hemoglobin testing to a diabetic client. Which of the following provides the best reason for this order?

Reflects the amount of glucose stored in hemoglobin over past several months. Hemoglobin A1c tests reflect the amount of glucose that is stored in the hemoglobin molecule during its life span of 120 days. This test provides a more accurate picture of overall glucose control in a client. Glycosylated hemoglobin test does not indicate normal blood functioning or nutritional state of the client. Self-monitoring with a glucometer is still encouraged in clients who are taking insulin or have unstable blood glucose levels.

NPH is an example of which type of insulin?

intermediate acting