OBJECTIVE -Intravenous insulin is now the recommended method of diabetes management in critically ill persons in the hospital. The published methods for administering the insulin are complex and are usually limited to intensive care units with a low patient-to-nurse ratio. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS-A computer-directed algorithm for advice on the delivery of intravenous insulin that is flexible in blood glucose timing and advises insulin dosing in a graduated manner has been developed. This software program, known as the Glucommander, has been used extensively by our group. The data were analyzed for this study.RESULTS -The data from 5,080 intravenous insulin runs over 120,683 h show that blood glucose levels can be safely stabilized in a target range without significant hypoglycemia by nonspecialized nurses working on any unit of a general hospital. The mean glucose level reached Ͻ150 mg/dl in 3 h. Only 0.6% of all glucose values were Ͻ50 mg/dl. The prevalence of hypoglycemia Ͻ40 mg/dl was 2.6% of all runs. No hypoglycemia was severe.CONCLUSIONS -This computer-directed algorithm is a simple, safe, effective, and robust method for maintaining glycemic control. It has been extensively studied and is applicable in a wide variety of conditions. In contrast to other published intravenous insulin protocols, which have been limited to intensive care units, Glucommander can be used in all units of any hospital. Diabetes Care 28:2418 -2423, 2005A large, randomized, controlled trial of patients admitted to a surgical intensive care unit in Leuven, Belgium, and reported by Van den Berghe et al. (1) showed that regulation of blood glucose levels to Ͻ110 mg/dl using an intravenous insulin protocol improved clinical outcomes. In the Leuven study, intensive insulin therapy reduced intensive care unit (ICU) mortality by 34% and also reduced sepsis, the need for dialysis, prolonged ventilator support, and the duration of ICU stay.Strict glycemic control has been demonstrated to be beneficial in other settings as well, with intravenous insulin in preference to the subcutaneous route in many clinical situations, including diabetic ketoacidosis and the nonketotic hyperosmolar state (2), critical care illness (1), myocardial infarction or cardiogenic shock (3-5), and the postoperative period after cardiac surgical procedures (6). Other indications for intravenous insulin infusion therapy include use in patients with diabetes who are receiving nothing by mouth, general perioperative care, total parental nutrition, or high-dose corticosteroid therapy; in patients who have had a stroke; in women during labor and delivery; as a dose-finding strategy in anticipation of initiation of subcutaneous insulin; and in prevention or treatment of infection.Based on the emerging clinical evidence, there are widespread efforts to maintain very strict glycemic control in critically ill patients. However, achieving this goal requires extensive nursing efforts, including frequent bedside capillary glucose monitoring and the implementation of compl...

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Current goals of therapy of type 1 and 2 diabetes are to achieve near normal glycemia, minimize the risk of severe hypoglycemia, limit excessive weight gain, improve quality of life and delay or prevent late vascular complications. As discussed in this review, insulin pump or continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) therapy provides a treatment option that can dramatically aid in achieving all of these goals. In comparison to multiple daily injections (MDI), CSII uses only rapid-acting insulin, provides greater flexibility in timing of meals and snacks, has programmable basal rates to optimize overnight glycemic control, can reduce the risk of exercise-induced hypoglycemia, and enhances patients' ability to control their own diabetes. Most important, in adults and adolescents with type 1 diabetes, CSII has been shown to lower HbA(1c) levels, reduce the frequency of severe hypoglycemia and limit excessive weight gain versus MDI without increasing the risk of diabetic ketoacidosis. Similarly positive results are being seen with CSII in adults with type 2 diabetes. The effectiveness of CSII and improvements in pump technology have fueled a dramatic increase in the use of this therapy. Practical guidelines are presented for selection of patients, initiation of treatment, patient education, follow-up assessments and troubleshooting. The recent introduction of methods for continuous glucose monitoring provides a new means to optimize the basal and bolus capabilities of CSII and offers the hope of the development of a feedback-controlled artificial pancreas.

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