Severe hypoglycaemia in diabetic patients in Pre-hospital and Emergency Department care: a cross-sectional survey

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to characterize hypoglycaemia episodes and patients examined by a Pre-hospital Medical Emergency Unit (PH) and in the Emergency Department (ED) of our hospital. RESULTS: We identified 86 episodes of severe hypoglycaemia (PH: n 37; ED: n 49; both: n 12). Hypoglycaemia accounted for 4.7% of all emergency calls attended by the PH (n 793) and 0.11% of all ED episodes (n 54,366). Among episodes examined by the PH, 64.5% of involved patients had type 2 diabetes and 54.1% were not referred to the ED. Transportation of the patient to the ED was more likely in type 2 diabetes (p = 0.014). Among episodes evaluated in the ED 66.1% of the patients were more than 65 years old and 81.4% had type 2 diabetes. 66% of the patients were insulin treated. One-third of examined patients were admitted to the ward, the majority having type 2 diabetes.