Sick day management: mini dose glucagon
Mini doses of glucagon may be used to treat hypoglycaemia when
unable to tolerate food or fluids.
For example: If
your child’s blood glucose level (BGL) is low (less than 3.9 mmol/L), and feels too sick to eat/drink ‘hypo’ treatment.
The Glucagon Hypokit consists of:
Glucagon Hypo Kit

and
Syringes: Ideally get either the 30 unit or 50 unit insulin syringes at home to draw up the mini dose glucagon. Using the smaller volume syringe helps with drawing up the dose accurately.


Mini dose
glucagon is a very effective and
safe treatment used in children who are hypoglycaemic (Low BGL) as a result of
a vomiting illness like gastro and cannot tolerate food or are refusing food
due to nausea. Glucagon works by sending a message to the liver and muscles to
release stores of glucose to help raise the internal blood glucose levels. Mini dose glucagon can be administered up
to 3 times to stabilise blood glucose levels.
Step 1
Make up the mini dose Glucagon
as follows:
- Remove
the orange plastic cap from the bottle of white powder (glucagon) and the
needle guard from the syringe containing sterile water
- Using the syringe in the kit inject
all the water in the syringe into the glucagon vial through the bulls eye
in the centre the vial.
- Remove the needle and keep the
syringe in case it is later needed.
- Using an insulin syringe
draw up the glucagon solution using the table below for the dose.
- Administer the solution as you
would an insulin injection
When glucagon has been diluted it can be used for the next 24 hours
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Step 2
Recheck BGL in 30 minutes

Step 3
- Recheck
BGL in 30 minutes.
- If
BGL remains below 5.5 mmol/l give a third dose. This dose is the same as the
2nd dose.
- Continue
to offer small amounts of sweetened fluids and food and refer to sick day
management guidelines.
- Monitor
BGL’s hourly if BGL maintained above 5.5 mmol/l
- Call
the hospital sick day pager (see below) for support and advice
Call the hospital if any of the
following occur:
- Your
child vomits 3 times
- Your
child’s BGL is less than 5.5 mmol/l after 3 doses of mini dose glucagon.
- You
are unsure what to do
Call
the hospital switchboard on 9345 5522 and ask for the “diabetes sick day
service”