Insulin infusion therapy in critically ill patients.

While dysglycemia (hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia and glucose variability) is clearly associated with increased mortality in critically ill patients, target range of blood glucose control remains controversial. Standardized insulin infusion protocols constitute the basis of treatment of these patients. The choice of protocol and its implementation is a great challenge.

Assessment of quality of glycemic control in intensive care patients treated with an insulin infusion at a teaching hospital.

Objective: To describe the quality of glycemic control in patients in intensive care units (ICUs) treated with an intravenous (IV) insulin infusion at a teaching hospital.

Method: This retrospective study included patients admitted to the ICU and treated with an IV insulin infusion for at least 12 h between August 1 and November 30, 2011. Medical charts were reviewed.