ArticleJournal of the colleges of medicine of South Africa2025
The dawdle, dally and delay of diabetic ketoacidosis: Decoding the emergency department length of stay - A chart review.
Article in Journal of the colleges of medicine of South Africa, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Clinical Predictors of Time to Hospital Discharge in Children With New-Onset Diabetic Ketoacidosis in Zambia: A Retrospective Cohort Study.Endocrinology, diabetes & metabolism · 2026Article
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Diabetic ketoacidosis is a life-threatening complication requiring prompt intervention. Understanding factors influencing the duration of emergency department (ED) stay is essential for optimising patient care and resource utilisation. Methods: A retrospective review was conducted on patients diagnosed with diabetic ketoacidosis at a regional hospital in KwaZulu-Natal between March 2022 and March 2023. Demographics, precipitants, severity, potassium levels and time to resolution were analysed to determine correlations between these variables and the duration of stay in the ED. Results: Of the 156 records, 105 met the inclusion criteria. The mean age was 36.8 years, with 51.4% male and 98.1% of black ethnicity. Poor compliance (37.1%) and infection (31.4%) were the commonest precipitants. Longer durations in the ED (16.2 h, Conclusion: Unknown precipitants significantly influenced the length of stay in the ED. Infection, severe acidosis, and hypokalaemia contributed with variable significance, highlighting that targeted interventions may potentially reduce congestion in these settings. Contribution: This study provides valuable insights into factors influencing ED length of stay for diabetic ketoacidosis patients, offering evidence to improve clinical management and resource allocation in regional hospitals.
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