Hypoglycemia Management — free guideline decision tool
This tool guides hypoglycemia treatment by consciousness/swallowing status and IV access, applying the 15-15 rule for awake patients and glucagon or IV glucose for severe cases.
Open guideline tool →Guideline-based
Implements the decision logic from published clinical guidelines.
Runs in your browser
No installation. Enter the patient's values and get a guideline recommendation instantly.
Data stays local
Nothing is uploaded. Results are for licensed clinicians only.
Worked calculation
The values below come from this tool's own example placeholders and are computed server-side with the formula shown on this page, so the arithmetic can be checked quickly. It demonstrates how to substitute values only — it is not clinical advice and not a real case.
| Consciousness/swallowing status | Awake, able to swallow |
|---|---|
| IV access (when unable to swallow) | Has IV access |
→Disposition15-15 rule oral carbohydrate
- Oral fast-acting carbohydrate：Awake and able to swallow: 15 g fast-acting carbohydrate (glucose tablets, ~120 mL juice, regular sugary cola), recheck fingerstick glucose after 15 min
- Repeat：Still < 70 mg/dL (3.9 mmol/L) → another 15 g, wait another 15 min, repeat until glucose recovers (inpatient target > 80 mg/dL)
- Consolidate：After recovery, eat a small meal with protein + complex carbohydrate to prevent recurrence
| Consciousness/swallowing status | Impaired consciousness/coma/unable to swallow |
|---|---|
| IV access (when unable to swallow) | No IV access |
→DispositionGlucagon IM/SC
- No oral intake (aspiration risk)：Impaired consciousness/coma/unable to swallow: do not feed food or liquids (aspiration risk)
- With IV access：If IV access can be established: 25 mL of 50% glucose IV push
- No IV access：Glucagon 1 mg IM/SC (or 3 mg nasal spray); may repeat once if not recovered in 15 min; call emergency services
Common questions
What is Hypoglycemia Management?
This tool guides hypoglycemia treatment by consciousness/swallowing status and IV access, applying the 15-15 rule for awake patients and glucagon or IV glucose for severe cases.
How is Hypoglycemia Management calculated? What is the core formula?
Awake/swallowing → 15 g fast carbohydrate, recheck at 15 min, repeat until > 70 mg/dL, then a protein-containing meal. Impaired → no oral intake; IV access → 25 mL D50; no access → glucagon 1 mg IM/SC (or 3 mg nasal).
When is Hypoglycemia Management used?
Use at the bedside to choose route and agent: oral fast-acting carbohydrate when awake and swallowing, IV dextrose when access exists, and glucagon when it does not.
What are the key clinical points for Hypoglycemia Management?
Patients with impaired consciousness must not be fed food or liquids because of aspiration risk — use IV dextrose or glucagon instead. (original synthesis · not guideline verbatim) After recovery, a small meal with protein and complex carbohydrate prevents rebound hypoglycemia, and precipitants should be corrected. Hypoglycemia tends to recur, so monitoring is intensified and the glucose-lowering regimen reviewed.
What are the limits and cautions when using Hypoglycemia Management?
For licensed clinicians and clinical researchers. Interpret results with history, investigations and local protocols; not a diagnosis or prescription, and not a substitute for multidisciplinary decision-making or local guidelines.
How is Hypoglycemia Management calculated in practice? Can you show a worked example?
Inputs: Consciousness/swallowing status Awake, able to swallow, IV access (when unable to swallow) Has IV access → Result: Disposition 15-15 rule oral carbohydrate（Oral fast-acting carbohydrate: Awake and able to swallow: 15 g fast-acting carbohydrate (glucose tablets, ~120 mL juice, regular sugary cola), recheck fingerstick glucose after 15 min, Repeat: Still < 70 mg/dL (3.9 mmol/L) → another 15 g, wait another 15 min, repeat until glucose recovers (inpatient target > 80 mg/dL), Consolidate: After recovery, eat a small meal with protein + complex carbohydrate to prevent recurrence） Inputs: Consciousness/swallowing status Impaired consciousness/coma/unable to swallow, IV access (when unable to swallow) No IV access → Result: Disposition Glucagon IM/SC（No oral intake (aspiration risk): Impaired consciousness/coma/unable to swallow: do not feed food or liquids (aspiration risk), With IV access: If IV access can be established: 25 mL of 50% glucose IV push, No IV access: Glucagon 1 mg IM/SC (or 3 mg nasal spray); may repeat once if not recovered in 15 min; call emergency services）
Run Hypoglycemia Management now
This tool guides hypoglycemia treatment by consciousness/swallowing status and IV access, applying the 15-15 rule for awake patients and glucagon or IV glucose for severe cases.
Open guideline tool →For licensed clinicians. Not a substitute for clinical judgement.
Paste the link in Slack, Teams, X, or LinkedIn — the preview image comes from this page’s Open Graph card.