Effect of dobutamine on insulin requirement in diabetic ketoacidosis

Abstract

Certain beta-adrenergic agonists—for example, isoprenaline, dopamine, and salbutamol—interfere with glucose tolerance in diabetes, resulting in hyperglycaemia and in some cases ketoacidosis. We report a case in which dobutamine, a synthetic inotropic agent structurally related to dopamine, appreciably increased the insulin requirement of a diabetic in ketoacidosis. © 1981, British Medical Journal Publishing Group. All rights reserved.