The conventional high dose insulin treatment of the diabetic ketoacidosis is often accompanied by complications such as hypokalemia and hypoglycemia, apart from the difficulty of a rapid restoration of the normal blood glucose values. Therefore low dose insulin treatment has been recommended in order to obtain physiological blood insulin concentrations as well as to avoid the above mentioned complications. The experiencia with this treatment schedule is reported in the present comunication.  From August 1978 to June 1979, 7 ketoacidotic episodes in 6 male patients were treated. Their ages varied from 13 to 42 years (mean 26.6); 3 patients were first diagnosed during ketoacidosis coma. The patients were unconscious, dehydrated, tachycardia, polypnea, acidosis, bicarbonate less than 10 mEq/l was present in three of them; three patients had acute renal insufficiency; one patients had a...

The conventional high dose insulin treatment of the diabetic ketoacidosis is often accompanied by complications such as hypokalemia and hypoglycemia, apart from the difficulty of a rapid restoration of the normal blood glucose values. Therefore low dose insulin treatment has been recommended in order to obtain physiological blood insulin concentrations as well as to avoid the above mentioned complications. The experiencia with this treatment schedule is reported in the present comunication.  From August 1978 to June 1979, 7 ketoacidotic episodes in 6 male patients were treated. Their ages varied from 13 to 42 years (mean 26.6); 3 patients were first diagnosed during ketoacidosis coma. The patients were unconscious, dehydrated, tachycardia, polypnea, acidosis, bicarbonate less than 10 mEq/l was present in three of them; three patients had acute renal insufficiency; one patients had a...