OBJECTIVE To describe profound hypokalemia in a comatose patient with diabetic ketoacidosis. METHODS We present a case report, review the mechanisms for the occurrence of hypokalemia in diabetic ketoacidosis, and discuss its management in the setting of hyperglycemia and hyperosmolality. RESULTS A 22-year-old woman with a history of type 1 diabetes mellitus was admitted in a comatose state....

First, outcome variable of “duration of comatose state” included all patients irrespective of their survival status. Failure to censor this time-to-event ‘duration of coma’ variable by mortality in this study is a major methodological flaw in evaluating treatment efficacy. Indeed, more aptly definable endpoint would be the “duration of resolution of abnormal mental status (or length of time to ...