Journal of critical care
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Journal of critical care · Jun 2007
Randomized Controlled TrialLowering of glucose in critical care: a randomized pilot trial.
Similar to cardiac surgery patients, medical-surgical critically ill patients may benefit from intensive insulin therapy. The objectives of this pilot trial were to evaluate the feasibility of a randomized trial of intensive insulin therapy with respect to (a) achieving target glucose values in the 2 ranges of 5 to 7 and 8 to 10 mmol/L and (b) uncovering problems with the protocol in anticipation of a larger trial. ⋯ In this pilot trial of ICU patients with high illness severity, glucose values were in the 2 target ranges only 40% of the time, using well-accepted initiation and maintenance insulin infusion algorithms. A large randomized trial of glycemic control is feasible in this population to examine clinically important outcomes, but will require refined insulin algorithms and more comprehensive behavior change strategies to achieve target values.