How to treat low blood sugar
Other platforms explain it with text and video. In VMS you practice it on the patient.
Low blood sugar can look like a stroke, drunkenness or a seizure. Check the glucose in every confused patient.
Step by step
Recognize it
Sweating, shaking, fast heart rate, confusion, odd behavior or unconsciousness, often in a patient on insulin or diabetes pills. [1]
Check the glucose
Below 70 mg/dL with symptoms means treat now. [1]
If the patient can swallow
Oral glucose 15 to 20 g (gel or tablets) or a sugary drink. Check that they can protect their airway. [1]
If the patient cannot swallow
Nothing by mouth. IV dextrose or glucagon (IM or nasal), per protocol. [1]
Recheck
Glucose again after 15 minutes; repeat the treatment if still low. [1]
Feed and find the cause
Once awake, a meal with complex carbohydrates. Ask about missed meals, insulin dose and exercise. Long-acting diabetes pills can make it come back. [1]
Common errors
- Giving food or drink to a patient who cannot swallow.
- Not rechecking.
- Calling it a stroke without checking the glucose.
Practice it in VMS
In VMS you do this on the patient, not on paper: every step goes on the checklist with a score, and in Teach mode Blocky tells you what comes next.
VMS cases that train this skill
Sources
Facts and steps follow NASEMSO National Model EMS Clinical Guidelines. VMS is not affiliated with these organizations. Updated: 2026-10-11.