Hypoglycemia can be subtle—or dangerously obvious—and knowing when and how to treat it is critical. In her first episode as our new Push Dose Pearls expert, Emergency Medicine Clinical Pharmacist, Haley Burhans, joins us to break it down. We discuss glucose thresholds by age, when to draw critical labs, and how to choose the right treatment—whether it’s oral glucose, IV dextrose, or IM or intranasal glucagon. From neonates to older adults, Haley delivers practical, evidence-based pearls to help you manage low blood sugar safely and effectively in the ED.

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Hosts:

Dr. Julia Magaña, Professor of Pediatric Emergency Medicine at UC Davis

Dr. Sarah Medeiros, Professor of Emergency Medicine at UC Davis

Guests:

Haley Burhans, PharmD, Emergency Medicine Clinical Pharmacist at UC Davis

Resources:

Gandhi K. Approach to hypoglycemia in infants and children. Transl Pediatr. 2017 Oct;6(4):408-420. doi: 10.21037/tp.2017.10.05. PMID: 29184821; PMCID: PMC5682370.

Rickels MR, Ruedy KJ, Foster NC, Piché CA, Dulude H, Sherr JL, Tamborlane WV, Bethin KE, DiMeglio LA, Wadwa RP, Ahmann AJ, Haller MJ, Nathan BM, Marcovina SM, Rampakakis E, Meng L, Beck RW; T1D Exchange Intranasal Glucagon Investigators. Intranasal Glucagon for Treatment of Insulin-Induced Hypoglycemia in Adults With Type 1 Diabetes: A Randomized Crossover Noninferiority Study. Diabetes Care. 2016 Feb;39(2):264-70. doi: 10.2337/dc15-1498. Epub 2015 Dec 17. PMID: 26681725; PMCID: PMC4722945..

MD Calc GIR (Glucose Infusion Rate) Calculator

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Thank you to the UC Davis Department of Emergency Medicine for supporting this podcast and to Orlando Magaña at OM Productions for audio production services.