Evaluating glycemic control algorithms by computer simulations.

Background: Numerous guidelines and algorithms exist to achieve glycemic control. Their strengths and weaknesses are difficult to assess without head-to-head comparison in time-consuming clinical trials. We hypothesized that computer simulations may be useful.

Intensive insulin therapy: enhanced Model Predictive Control algorithm versus standard care.

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of an enhanced software Model Predictive Control (eMPC) algorithm for intravenous insulin infusion, targeted at tight glucose control in critically ill patients, over 72 h, in two intensive care units with different management protocols.

Design: Comparison with standard care in a two center open randomized clinical trial.

Setting: Two adult intensive care units in University Hospitals.