Mixing Glucose Gel with water
Question# 844
I discovered a "hack" on social media that is trending amongst Ontario medics - regarding the administration of oral glucose paste for hypoglycaemia. I think we can all agree administering GlucoGel is messy and generally not tolerated well by pts due to its thick consistency. The "hack" involves diluting the gel into approx 100mls of drinking water, to make it easier to swallow. In discussion with my work partner, we were unsure if this method of administration would be acceptable. Could we document that we did this? According to guidelines we could find in research, it appears that swallowing the gel is required for desired absorption rather than buccal absorption. If drinking water was available to a crew, would it be an acceptable method of administration, to dilute the oral glucose gel into a small amount of water for the pt to drink, and be documented accordingly?
Answer:
You bring up a good point about providing oral glucose gel to patients and how sometimes it is really challenging due to the viscosity of the gel. You are also correct in stating that the method of absorption for the insta glucose gel is via swallowing and digestion and not buccal absorption. The risk with mixing any medication in a carrier liquid is determining the actual dosage ingested if the patient does not finish all of the liquid mixture prepared. Additionally, mixing with another carrier fluid that contains sugar changes the total dose given to the patient.
If you encounter a situation that requires the insta-glucose gel and the patient is unable to tolerate the viscosity of it, then some small sips of water or mixing in a small amount of water may be a good alternative like the one you proposed.
If you encounter a situation that requires the insta-glucose gel and the patient is unable to tolerate the viscosity of it, then some small sips of water or mixing in a small amount of water may be a good alternative like the one you proposed.
References
Diabetes Canada | Clinical Practice Guidelines https://guidelines.diabetes.ca/cpg/chapter14#bib0370