Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association
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The clinical presentation of diabetic ketoacidosis in pregnancy is usually the same as in nonpregnant women, although the blood glucose may not be as high as in the nongravid state. We report a case of a pregnant woman who developed diabetic ketoacidosis with a normal blood glucose and review the pertinent medical literature. A 29-year-old woman with type I diabetes developed diabetic ketoacidosis during induction of labor. ⋯ In this case, the combination of an initial episode of hypoglycemia and subsequent blood glucose levels below 95 mg per 100 ml led to a prolonged delay in the initiation of a planned insulin infusion for insulin coverage during the induction of labor. A significant ketoacidosis consequently developed, despite the absence of even a single elevated blood glucose measurement. This case illustrated the importance of not withholding insulin in a patient with type I diabetes for more than a few hours even if the blood glucose is normal.
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Current scoring systems, which adjust prediction for severity of illness, do not account for higher observed mortality in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) of children's hospitals than that of perinatal centers. We hypothesized that three potential predictors, (a) admission from another NICU, (b) presence of congenital anomalies and (c) need for surgery, would modify expected mortality and/or length of stay for infants admitted to NICUs in children's hospitals. ⋯ Fair performance comparisons of NICUs with different case-mixes, such as children's hospital and perinatal NICUs, in addition to severity-of-illness indices, should account for admissions from another NICU, congenital anomalies and surgery.