Name: improving iv insulin administration in a community hospital
Uploaded: 2012-06-11T12:00:00
Duration: 12 min 8 s
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Improving IV Insulin Administration in a Community Hospital at JoVE.com

The author acknowledges Anne Gentry, PharmD for her assistance with the preparation of this manuscript, Randy Wesnitzer, PharmD for the data collection and analysis of the initial paper intravenous (IV) insulin protocol and Devy A. Lee, BSc(Pharm), CMPP for her assistance in editing and manuscript preparation.

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	<li>Umpierrez, G. E., Isaacs, S. D., Bazargan, N., You, X., Thaler, L. M., Ktabchi, A. E. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Hyperglycemia:+an+independent+marker+of+in-hospital+mortality+in+patients+with+undiagnosed+diabetes.">Hyperglycemia: an independent marker of in-hospital mortality in patients with undiagnosed diabetes.</a> J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 87, 978-982 (2002).</li><li>Bochicchio, G. V., Sung, J., Josh, M. I., Bochicchio, K., Johnson, S. B. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Persistent+hyperglycemia+is+predictive+of+outcome+in+critically+ill+trauma+patients.">Persistent hyperglycemia is predictive of outcome in critically ill trauma patients.</a> J. Trauma. 58, 921-924 (2005).</li><li>Finfer, S., Delaney, A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Tight+glycemic+control+in+critically+ill+adults.">Tight glycemic control in critically ill adults.</a> JAMA. 300, 963-965 (2008).</li><li>American Diabetes Association. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Standards+of+medical+care+in+diabetes-2008.">Standards of medical care in diabetes-2008.</a> Diabetes Care. 31, S12-S54 (2008).</li><li>Moghissi, E. S., Korytkowski, M. T., DiNardo, M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=American+Association+of+Clinical+Endocrinologists+and+American+Diabetes+Association+Consensus+statement+on+inpatient+glycemic+control.">American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and American Diabetes Association Consensus statement on inpatient glycemic control.</a> Endocr. Pract. 15, 1-17 (2009).</li><li>. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+NICE-SUGAR+Study+Investigators.+Intensive+versus+conventional+glucose+control+in+critically+ill+patients.">The NICE-SUGAR Study Investigators. Intensive versus conventional glucose control in critically ill patients.</a> N. Engl. J. Med. 360, 1283-1297 (2009).</li><li>Brunkhorst, F. M., Engel, C., Bloos, F. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Intensive+insulin+therapy+and+pentastarch+resuscitation+in+severe+sepsis.">Intensive insulin therapy and pentastarch resuscitation in severe sepsis.</a> N. Engl. J. Med. 358, 125-139 (2008).</li><li>Griesdale, D. E., de Souza, R. J., van Dam, R. M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Intensive+insulin+therapy+and+mortality+among+critically+ill+patients:+a+meta-analysis+including+NICE-SUGAR+study+data.">Intensive insulin therapy and mortality among critically ill patients: a meta-analysis including NICE-SUGAR study data.</a> CMAJ. 180, 821-827 (2009).</li><li>Van den Berghe, G., Wilmer, A., Hermans, G. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Intensive+insulin+therapy+in+the+medical+ICU.">Intensive insulin therapy in the medical ICU.</a> N. Engl. J. Med. 354, 449-461 (2006).</li><li>Trence, D. L., Kelly, J. L., Hirsch, I. B. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+rationale+and+management+of+hyperglycemia+for+in-patients+with+cardiovascular+disease:+time+for+change.">The rationale and management of hyperglycemia for in-patients with cardiovascular disease: time for change.</a> J. Clin. Endocrinol Metab. 88, 2430-2437 (2003).</li></ol>

Production and Free Access to this article is sponsored by Hospira, Inc.

This EndoTool system was chosen because of its sophisticated algorithms and ease of use. The program is U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-cleared and assists the institution in being Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)-compliant. It can be loaded onto the hospital's server and intranet without the need for extra hardware. 
The software uses mathematical modeling to calculate a patient-specific physiologic insulin dosing curve based on the input of patient-specific blood glucose concentrations. The foundation for the IV insulin dose is a complex feedback mechanism based on controlled mathematics. The software uses 33 algorithms to analyze and interpret the patient's previous glucose readings&mdash;incorporating the four most recent readings &mdash; to calculate the most appropriate IV insulin dose at that point in time. With the entry of each subsequent blood glucose reading, the curve is adjusted to minimize extremes in blood glucose concentrations. In its initial calculations, the system accounts for factors that affect blood glucose concentrations, such as presence/absence of diabetes or use of corticosteroids. Although the CGMS provides accurate and timely dosing and rate information, critical thinking at the bedside is still required for IV insulin administration. The computer-guided software provides guidance to the end user regarding IV insulin rates and carbohydrate intake, information for new patient start-ups, and what to do during computer interruptions (i.e. server downtime).
Upon implementation of the CGMS, there was some initial resistance from physicians until they felt that they could understand and trust the software. However, the resistance diminished when the medical staff saw how easy the system was to use, how effective it was in controlling blood glucose concentrations, and how they were able to override its recommendations if clinically necessary. Overall, the nursing staff was eager to implement the CGMS due to their increasing frustration with the paper protocols. However, initially there was some hesitation from the nurses in accepting the higher insulin infusion rates and bolus doses that were recommended by the CGMS. At times, the system would recommend much higher infusion rates and bolus doses to keep the patient in the goal range than are commonly recommended by paper protocols. The nurses have since become comfortable with the CGMS recommendations and rarely deviate from suggested infusion rates/bolus doses. 
The importance of good glycemic control in hospitalized patients has been well documented in the literature. These studies have shown a decrease in morbidity and mortality when glucose is effectively controlled during hospitalization. The switch from using paper IV insulin protocols to a computerized glucose management system at Wyoming Medical Center resulted in substantially improved glycemic control in accordance with current guidelines in patients with hyperglycemia while minimizing the risk of hypoglycemia. Even though the benefits of good glycemic control are well known among health care professionals, implementing such a strategy took careful planning (Table 2). Despite multiple revisions of the paper protocol, results in terms of achieving normoglycemia while minimizing hypoglycemia were suboptimal. Overall, CGMS allowed more rapid and tighter glucose control, achieving target concentrations in greater than 75% of all readings. When administering intravenous insulin, there is a natural fear of hypoglycemia. However, the prevalence of hypoglycemia with the use of CGMS was well under 1%.

improving iv insulin administration in a community hospital

Diabetes mellitus is a major independent risk factor for increased morbidity and mortality in the hospitalized patient, and elevated blood glucose concentrations, even in non-diabetic patients, predicts poor outcomes.1-4 The 2008 consensus statement by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) states that "hyperglycemia in hospitalized patients, irrespective of its cause, is unequivocally associated with adverse outcomes."5 It is important to recognize that hyperglycemia occurs in patients with known or undiagnosed diabetes as well as during acute illness in those with previously normal glucose tolerance.
The Normoglycemia in Intensive Care Evaluation-Survival Using Glucose Algorithm Regulation (NICE-SUGAR) study involved over six thousand adult intensive care unit (ICU) patients who were randomized to intensive glucose control or conventional glucose control.6 Surprisingly, this trial found that intensive glucose control increased the risk of mortality by 14% (odds ratio, 1.14; p=0.02). In addition, there was an increased prevalence of severe hypoglycemia in the intensive control group compared with the conventional control group (6.8% vs. 0.5%, respectively; p&lt;0.001). From this pivotal trial and two others,7,8 Wyoming Medical Center (WMC) realized the importance of controlling hyperglycemia in the hospitalized patient while avoiding the negative impact of resultant hypoglycemia. 
Despite multiple revisions of an IV insulin paper protocol, analysis of data from usage of the paper protocol at WMC shows that in terms of achieving normoglycemia while minimizing hypoglycemia, results were suboptimal. Therefore, through a systematical implementation plan, monitoring of patient blood glucose levels was switched from using a paper IV insulin protocol to a computerized glucose management system. By comparing blood glucose levels using the paper protocol to that of the computerized system, it was determined, that overall, the computerized glucose management system resulted in more rapid and tighter glucose control than the traditional paper protocol. Specifically, a substantial increase in the time spent within the target blood glucose concentration range, as well as a decrease in the prevalence of severe hypoglycemia (BG &lt; 40 mg/dL), clinical hypoglycemia (BG &lt; 70 mg/dL), and hyperglycemia (BG &gt; 180 mg/dL), was witnessed in the first five months after implementation of the computerized glucose management system. The computerized system achieved target concentrations in greater than 75% of all readings while minimizing the risk of hypoglycemia. The prevalence of hypoglycemia (BG &lt; 70 mg/dL) with the use of the computer glucose management system was well under 1%.

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Improving IV Insulin Administration in a Community Hospital at JoVE.com

Improving IV Insulin Administration in a Community Hospital

When compared to the previous paper protocol, implementation of a computerized glucose management system results in a substantial increase in blood glucose concentration measurements within the target range. Using a computerized glucose management system to monitor blood glucose levels, decreases in severe hypoglycemia (&lt;40 mg/dL), clinical hypoglycemia (&lt;70 mg/dL), and hyperglycemia (&gt;180 mg/dL) also can be observed.

Diabetes mellitus is a major independent risk factor for increased morbidity and mortality in the hospitalized patient, and elevated blood glucose ...

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