Insulin requirement in the first 24 hours of intensive care admission predicts outcome

Excerpt

Insulin requirement (in mainly cardiothoracic surgical patients) is suggested as being more strongly associated with ITU mortality than poor glycaemic control [1]. We prospectively recorded insulin administration (soluble human insulin, by infusion; Actrapid^®; Novo Nordisk) in consecutive general ITU patients admitted over a 1-month period to our unit where guidelines are set to attempt to achieve an arterial blood glucose concentration between 4.5 and 8.0 mmol/l. Patients were subsequently divided into two groups according to whether or not they required insulin during the first 24 hours. Blood glucose was measured using the Radiometer^® ABL System 625 or 700 blood gas analysers. Samples were taken at least every 2 hours. …