D5W with diabetics

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Specializes in Surgical Intensive Care Unit.

I was just wondering if anyone has seen D5W administered to patients with diabetes? I saw this the other day and asked the nurse why. She is a LPN and told me "maybe her sodium is too high?". How does D5W lower sodium levels????

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Specializes in Telemetry/Med-Surg.

I have seen it used in diabetics who are NPO and have tendencies to drop their sugars.

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Specializes in Anesthesia.

Dextrose IV solutions are often started once blood sugars get below 200 for DKA patients.

Adding a non-sodium IV solution to the body can dilute out/lower sodium.

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Specializes in acute rehab, psych, home health, agencey.

We have a extremely brittle diabetic that the md had a portacath placed so we could bolus d5w into the patient for the frequent and severe hypoglycemic episodes, also on hand for the tpn crisises and or to assist fluid pulloff

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Specializes in telemetry, cardiac.

We use it with DKA patients and run it with insulin drips. Helps prevent their sugar from dropping and helps with metabolic swing. Also used with some diabetics if potassium levels are off.

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A line of D5 is often used in the prehospital setting on patients who are hypoglycemic. After the line is established, an amp of D50 is given IV push. The D50 kicks in quickly, but it is gone quickly. The D5 helps to stablize the serum glucose level as the D50 wears off.

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