General
hypo
What does hypo mean?
Short for 'hypoglycemia'. A diabetic emergency where blood glucose drops dangerously low — patient goes sweaty, shaky, confused, sometimes combative or unconscious. Fix is fast sugar: oral glucose if they're with it, IV dextrose or IM glucagon if they're not. One of the most common and most satisfying EMS jobs because the patient often wakes up mid-treatment good as new.
"GCS 3 on arrival, BM was 1.8 — classic hypo. Slammed some dextrose and he was sitting up arguing inside two minutes."
Origin
Clipping of 'hypoglycemia'; in use across UK and US EMS since at least the 1980s.
Frequently asked questions
What does hypo mean?
It's short for a hypoglycemic episode — the patient's blood sugar has cratered.
How do you use hypo in a sentence?
A medic might say 'He's having a hypo, get some sugar into him'.
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