Towards evidence based emergency medicine: best BETs from the Manchester Royal Infirmary. Venous blood gas in adult patients with diabetic ketoacidosis.

A short cut review was carried out to establish whether venous blood gas measurement accurately demonstrates the degree of acidosis in patients with diabetic ketoacidosis. A total of 27 papers were found using the reported search, of which two presented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. The author, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes, results and study weaknesses of these best papers are tabulated. A clinical bottom line is stated.