I once rushed to a rapid response called in for a possible stroke in a patient with lethargy and facial assymetry, and after a stat head CT and a phone call to the neurologist, the labs came back with a glucose of 36 ! A bedside glucose check could have immediately solved the whole issue and saved everyones time and money
In the world of hospital or inpatient medicine, low glucose can be a culprit to a large variety of clinical crimes – confusion, tachycardia, obtundation, seizure, tremors, panic attack, syncope, falls, etc. So much so that I like to remember it as the fifth vital sign. Any rapid response or code blue event, it’s a good practice to ask for a quick bedside glucose check, will occasionally save you some embarassment 😎
