Outcomes of people with severe hypoglycaemia requiring prehospital emergency medical services management: a prospective study

The aim of this work was to investigate clinical outcomes following severe hypoglycaemia requiring prehospital emergency medical services (EMS) management.

We carried out a prospective, observational study of adults with diabetes attended by prehospital EMS for management of severe hypoglycaemia between April 2016 and July 2017. Information on precipitants, hospitalisation, length of hospital stay and recurrence was collected at 1 and 3 months following the episode of severe hypoglycaemia. Median and logistic regression models examined predictive factors.

Five hundred and five adults (61% male, median age 67 years) participated in the study. Fifty-two per cent had type 1 diabetes, 43% type 2 diabetes and 5% were unsure of their diabetes type. Following EMS management of the index episode of severe hypoglycaemia, 50.3% were transported to hospital. Of those transported, 41.3% were admitted to hospital for ongoing management (20.8% of all participants). The following factors predicted hospital admission: older age (OR 1.28 [95% CI 1.02, 1.60] per 10 years), greater number of comorbidities (OR 1.27 [95% CI 1.08, 1.48] per morbidity), moderate–severe injury accompanying the hypoglycaemia (OR 5.24 [95% CI 1.07, 25.8] compared with nil–mild injury) and unknown cause of hypoglycaemia (OR 2.21 [95% CI 1.24, 3.94] compared with known cause). The median (interquartile range) length of hospital stay was 4 (2–7) days. During follow-up, recurrent severe hypoglycaemia attended by prehospital EMS was experienced by 10.7% of participants. Predictive factors of recurrent severe hypoglycaemia in 3 months were decreased HbA_1c (OR 1.97 [95% CI 1.27, 3.06] per 10 mmol/mol decrease) and a greater number of antecedent severe hypoglycaemia episodes (OR 1.12 [95% CI 1.03, 1.23] per episode).

Following an episode of severe hypoglycaemia managed by EMS, one-fifth of participants required hospital admission, more likely in those with advancing age, increasing comorbidities and injury and one-tenth required EMS again for severe hypoglycaemia in a 3 month period, more likely in those with a greater number of antecedent episodes and lower HbA_1c. Knowledge of these factors associated with admission and recurrence provides an opportunity for development of targeted strategies aimed at prevention of severe hypoglycaemia in those most vulnerable.