Additional tests for DKA include:
The electrolyte tests: The test looks at the salts and mineral balances in your blood (Morris et al., 1986). The spices include sodium, potassium, and bicarbonates responsible for the electrical impulses in our bodies (Lever and Jaspan, 1983).
A chest x-ray: The x-ray result will show any changes in the intra-alveolar pressure gradient on the patients’ lungs. Speaking this shows if there were signs of hyperventilation which is caused by diabetes ketoacidosis (Karges et al., 2017).
After the nurse conducts some or all of the tests mentioned above, they will then determine the severity of the diabetes ketoacidosis on the patient. The best way to do this is by using an early warning score.
The new version of the Early Warning Score (EWS) can also be used to determine the extent of the illness affecting an individual patient (Jensen, 2018). The nurses will focus on the patient’s vital scores, starting with the rate of respiration up to the AVPU response. The score is assessed, and the nurses will then use their judgment to determine the severity of the patients’ illness. The EWS can be calculated using the vital signs but should be used combined with clinical experience.
On admission to the hospital, for example, Patient B’s vital signs have been recorded, and they record an EWS of six (Judge, 2016). All the clinical staff is responsible for ensuring that they recalculate the score after every thirty minutes until the count drops to a four. This means that the nurse in charge, the doctor and consultant should be contacted for immediate review and the critical outreach team (Singh et al., 1997). NICE clinical guidelines recommend that the frequency of calculation of a MEWS should be increased if abnormal physiology is recorded. Since Patient A has a MEWS of six, the work plan indicates that their MEWS should be recalculated every half an hour until it has decreased to below four.