Blood tests and kidneys
Corrected sodium in DKA
Sodium corrected for a high glucose, by the BSPED formula (ISPAD alongside).
For education. Check against your unit's guidance and a second clinician before use.
mmol/L
Fill in the boxes above to see the result.
Before you use this
- High glucose draws water into the blood and lowers the measured sodium. The corrected sodium estimates what it would be at a normal glucose.
- The corrected sodium should stay steady or rise as glucose falls during treatment. A falling corrected sodium is a warning sign: discuss with a senior.
- For the full DKA plan (fluids and insulin), UK units use the BSPED DKA calculator at dka-calculator.co.uk.
How this is calculated
- BSPED: corrected sodium = measured sodium + 0.4 × (glucose − 5.5), in mmol/L
- ISPAD: corrected sodium = measured sodium + 2 × (glucose − 5.6) ÷ 5.6, in mmol/L (the same as adding 1.6 mmol/L for every 100 mg/dL of glucose above 100)
- Glucose in mg/dL is converted to mmol/L by dividing by 18.
Sources
- British Society for Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes (BSPED). Guideline for the management of children and young people under 18 years with diabetic ketoacidosis.
- Glaser N, et al. ISPAD Clinical Practice Consensus Guidelines 2022: diabetic ketoacidosis and hyperglycemic hyperosmolar state. Pediatr Diabetes 2022;23:835–56.
Checked by PICUlearn, 21 Sept 2026.