BG- 74, would you give or held insulin?

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Specializes in Hospice.

Would you give insulin to pt with BG 74. Pt order is 6 units for BG >140.

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This question is nonsensical.

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Specializes in Primary Care, OR.
This question is nonsensical.

Agreed. BG of 74 looks NOTHING like BG >140

maybe OP made a typo.

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Would you give insulin to pt with BG 74. Pt order is 6 units for BG >140.

Can you give us the reason you're asking this question? It seems like a no brainer, so I'm hoping there is a story you'd like to share or something

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Rehab.

Depends on what type of insulin. If this was a morning fasting blood sugar and the patient was due for Lantus or Levemir and would be eating soon, yes I would probably give a long-acting insulin (after checking with the doctor). But no, I wouldn't give 6 units of Humalog or Novolog. It looks like you have some parameters listed already though, so you'd want to follow those.

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

3 years of experience, and you're asking this of an anonymous message board? What are the rest of the parameters? I assume this is a sliding scale, so find the number on the sliding scale and medicate appropriately. If what you listed is the only parameter given, then obviously you're going to hold the insulin. Either way, with a simple situation like that and your questions, I'd hate to be your patient.

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Specializes in Emergency, Telemetry, Transplant.

I really hope the OP comes back....I would like some more clarity on the question. Was it indeed a typo? What it sliding scale insulin, their normal breakfast dose, or a long acting insulin? A little more info is needed. Otherwise, as Sweet_Wild_Rose suggests, things appear a bit scary.

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

No, not based on those parameters. Sliding scales usually have a minimum blood sugar before the scale is used. If the blood sugar was 74 and there was a standing dose of insulin with meals I would check the patient's blood glucose trend to ensure they will not drop and only give the dose when the patient is eating.

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Specializes in LTC,Hospice/palliative care,acute care.

Let me just say that I have always had a problem with the stupid signs. It goes back to elementary school for me and I developed a full blown math phobia. I missed a large portion of 2nd grade due to illness, struggled to catch up and them my father (45 yrs old) was diagnosed with terminal cancer when I was in the 4th grade.It was a rough few years and to this day I have to stop and think about those dumb things.....

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
Let me just say that I have always had a problem with the stupid signs. It goes back to elementary school for me and I developed a full blown math phobia. I missed a large portion of 2nd grade due to illness, struggled to catch up and them my father (45 yrs old) was diagnosed with terminal cancer when I was in the 4th grade.It was a rough few years and to this day I have to stop and think about those dumb things.....

The way I was taught to remember it is that the wider end goes with the bigger number. Makes sense that way, too- bigger side of the sign with bigger number.

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Not enough info in the question to answer appropriately

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Type I or Type II diabetic?

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