How Often Are Emergency Patients Diagnosed With Diabetic Ketoacidosis Despite Not Meeting Laboratory Criteria?

The authors aimed to determine how frequently emergency department patients are diagnosed with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) despite not meeting established laboratory criteria. In their study of 1,676 patients, they found that while 53% met the laboratory criteria for DKA, 31% of those who did not meet the criteria were still diagnosed with DKA, indicating that emergency physicians may rely on clinical judgment in addition to laboratory results for DKA diagnoses.