[Hypoglycemia: a prospective study in an emergency service]. / Hipoglucemia: estudio prospectivo en un servicio de urgencias.

Hypoglycemia is a frequent clinical situation of particular interest in an emergency department because of its potential gravity and the need for quick and effective treatment. We present a prospective study of 50 patients with hypoglycemia detected in the emergency department. These being 0.17% of all the consultations in this period. The administration of an incorrect doses of insulin was the most frequent cause of hypoglycemia. We observed a good correlation between the BM-test and posterior glycemia. The patients who had initial neurologic symptoms had the lowest levels of glycemia, required more time for recovering and needed more glucose. 20 patients had high levels of glycemia 11.14 mmol/L. This fact was correlated with the amount of glucose administered. The authors suggest 50 g of glucose as the limit for administration, with the possible exception of patients with neurological symptoms.