A 75-year-old patient who is 1 week status post-multilevel laminectomy lumbar surgery is scheduled for an inpatient rehabilitation physical therapy session at 12 noon for 30 minutes.The patient has a history of type II diabetes mellitus.Her blood glucose 10 minutes before the physical therapy session was 75 mg/dL and the patient feels tired and weak.What should the physical therapist do next?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This scenario is common when a number of patients on an inpatient rehabilitation unit are being scheduled for therapy sessions.A diabetic patient probably should not be scheduled for therapy close to lunch if blood sugars are not well controlled.BG is low and thus this patient needs to eat specifically some carbohydrates prior to attending the therapy session.Her insulin dose should be adjusted and BG monitored more frequently in afternoon.The therapy session should be rescheduled for later after the patient consumes carbohydrates.Low BG is not considered a medical emergency justifying cancelation of therapy that day.

A 75-Year-Old Patient Who Is 1 Week Status Post-Multilevel Laminectomy