The Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office filed a custodial death report (CDR) with the Office of the Attorney General on May 30, 2023. The report pertained to the death of Ruthie Jean Fisk on April 6, 2022, in Lubbock County Jail. The CDR was supposed to have been filed within 30 days but, instead, it was filed almost 13 months after the due date. Ms. Fisk’s cause of death was hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease with congestive heart failure.

A Texas County Jail Inmate Dies of Diabetic Ketoacidosis Continued

The 23-year-old’s cause of death was a history of Covid-19 and possible diabetic ketoacidosis. The report indicates that the decedent received treatment for the medical condition that caused his death. But if he had diabetes and received insulin, ketoacidosis would not likely have occurred.

What is Diabetic Ketoacidosis?

Diabetic ketoacidosis occurs when a diabetic does not receive insulin, or the amount is insufficient. There must be enough insulin in the body to allow blood sugar into your cells for use as energy. Instead, your liver gets to work breaking down fat for fuel, a process that produces acids called ketones. The chemicals that the body creates when it breaks down fat to use for energy are ketones. DKA is caused by an overload of ketones in your blood.

Learn more in Part 1 and this ongoing series.

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–Guest Contributor