Question

The nurse practitioner is counseling a patient who is new to insulin therapy. The patient is advised that when injecting a short-acting, rapid-onset formulation such as insulin aspart, the greatest risk time for hypoglycemia is:

a) 15-60 minutes after injection.
b) 1-3 hours after injection.
c) 3-4 hours after injection.
d) 4-5 hours after injection.

Answer 1

The greatest risk for hypoglycemia using rapid-acting insulin aspart is 1-3 hours after injection, which corresponds to the peak effect time of the insulin.

Step-by-step explanation:

The nurse practitioner is counseling a patient who is new to insulin therapy about the greatest risk time for hypoglycemia when using a short-acting, rapid-onset formulation such as insulin aspart. Based on insulin pharmacodynamics, insulin aspart typically starts to work within 15 minutes of injection, has a peak effect 1 to 3 hours after injection, and lasts for about 3 to 5 hours in total. Therefore, the greatest risk for hypoglycemia would likely be during the peak activity time of the insulin, which is option b) 1-3 hours after injection.