Trial Between a Computer-Guided Intravenous Infusion Protocol Versus a Standard Insulin Infusion Algorithm in Medical ICU

Glucommander is a Computer-guided Intravenous (IV) insulin infusion protocol used for glycemic control in inpatients. This algorithm directs the administration of IV insulin in response to Blood Glucose (BG) measurement at the patient's bedside. In this study, the Glucommander program was loaded into a PalmOne (Zire 31, Tungsten E2 by Palm Inc.) handheld personal digital assistant (PDA) device. During the infusion, the nurse entered BG levels into the system and the computer recommended the insulin infusion rate and a variable time to check the next glucose testing. An alarm prompted the scheduled glucose check. The insulin infusion followed the formula: Insulin/Hour = Multiplier × (BG- 60).

Standard insulin infusion Algorithm is a standard paper form insulin infusion algorithm. The algorithm is divided into four columns based on empirically determined insulin sensitivity. The first column was for the most insulin-sensitive patients, and the fourth column was for the most insulin resistant patients. The majority of patients are started in the algorithm 1 column. Insulin resistant patients, such as those receiving glucocorticoids or receiving \>80 units of insulin per day as outpatients, started in the algorithm 2 column. The insulin infusion rate was determined by the patient's BG level and was measured hourly until the patient was stable and within the target range. If BG targets were not achieved and the BG had not decreased by at least 60 mg/dL in the preceding hour, the patient was moved to the next column.