NUR 229 Lecture Notes - Lecture 26: Polyuria, Polydipsia, Insulin
Document Summary
Definition of hhns: a life-threatening condition of a hyperglycemic state that affects patients with diabetes mellitus. It presents with an extreme high blood glucose which causes the blood to become very concentrated hyperosmolar but without the breakdown of ketones (fats) Therefore, clinically the patient will have heavy-duty hyperglycemia and. Glucose: fuels the cells so they can function. However, the body is not using the glucose because there isn"t enough insulin to take it into the cell or the cells are insulin resistant. This causes water to pull from inside the cells which will result in cell dehydration and an even higher glucose level. Insulin: helps take glucose into the cell so the body can use it for fuel. In hhns, the cells are not receptive to the insulin or there isn"t enough because of an illness which limits its availability. Therefore, glucose can not enter into the cell and glucose floats around in the blood.
