Glycemia and the non diabetic patient

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On a non diabetic patient should there be a capillary glucose check as part of the vital signs evaluated just prior to the patient's entry into the Hyperbaric chamber?

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We do not check glucose on our non-diabetics before or after treatment.

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Same here, no glucose check for non-diabetics.

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Specializes in Hyperbaric Medicine and Wound Care.

While I do not perform BGL checks on non-diabetics, I do advise ALL my patients to eat prior to treatment. HBOT will accelerate the metabolic rate, so it's a good idea to have those calories available to compensate.

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Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.

I have a question about checking BGL on "non-diabetics". Have the patients been checked for DM and have recent diagnostic labs showing they are indeed not diabetic or do you all go by verbal hx taken prior to the HBOT?

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Specializes in Hyperbaric Medicine and Wound Care.

Generally speaking, HBOT patients have long standing medical issues and DM would have been DX'd (or R/O) prior to beginning HBOT. If there is any suspicion of undiagnosed DM, i.e. C/O general malaise w/ early A.M. BGL above 200, then a referral back to their PCP is warranted.

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Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.

Thank you, CaliBoy760. Appreciate your reply and that makes perfect sense. How long have you been in this profession? We appreciate you here at allnurses replying to the members in this forum. Hope to see more interest generated in this forum and glad you are a part of this. :)

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Specializes in Hyperbaric Medicine and Wound Care.

I have been involved in Baromedical Nursing since 1991 in various capacities. I, too, wish that this board was more active than it is.

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