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Everything is more intense in the intensive care unit (ICU). Critically ill patients demand more frequent and detailed monitoring as well as timely and precise interventions to address their fragile state. These patients health can be impacted by a wide range of factors, including blood sugar. Statistics show that approximately 30-50% of ICU patients experience stress-induced hyperglycemia, which is typically...

Intravenous (IV) insulin infusion is a standard protocol for treating critically ill hospitalized patients with hyperglycemia. However, once glucose levels stabilize, patients may be transitioned to subcutaneous (SubQ) insulin injections. The transition from IV to SubQ dosing involves many variables and can be difficult to achieve without a few bumps along the way. While some hospitals follow standard transition protocols,...

When it comes to managing glucose levels in the hospital, the pharmacist can play an active role and, with broad expertise in medication management, make a unique contribution. Pharmacists are well informed of the risks associated with hyperglycemia and the benefits of tighter glycemic control, as well as the impact of the all-too-common hyperglycemia to hypoglycemia swing. If a patient...

Diabetes has plagued sufferers long before it was ever given a name and before the characteristics of diabetes were recognized. Only relatively recently has modern science shed light on the root of the disease and given new hope to patients with diabetes. As early as 1552 BC, a Greek physician identified diabetes as a disease characterized by frequent urination and...

November is American Diabetes Month. What’s your diabetes IQ? How much do you really know about the disease? While EndoTool addresses the need for insulin therapy in hospitalized patients, a significant number of these patients have been previously diagnosed (or will be) with diabetes. In honor of American Diabetes Month, we thought we would take a step back and look...

A study at United Regional Health Care System (URHCS), a major 325-bed hospital in Wichita Falls, Texas, proves that safe and efficient glucose management not only improves the delivery of insulin therapy, but decreases overall length of stay and results in financial savings for the hospital. As part of its commitment to leverage advanced medical technology for the benefit of...

When patients with diabetes enter the hospital, they don’t check their diabetes at the door. Managing diabetes while delivering treatment for other conditions is an added challenge for hospitalized patients where the condition may be either ongoing or a temporary abnormality. While always important, appropriate glucose management is particularly a concern for patients undergoing medical treatment — critical or not...

Hyperglycemia is a topic frequently discussed in hospitals today. It is not a defining characteristic of diabetes, but is a hefty threat to the body if not addressed in a timely manner. When left untreated, hyperglycemia can cause long-term complications of diabetes such as: eye damage, heart attack, kidney damage, nerve damage, and stroke. Healthcare puts a strong emphasis on...

If you’re a patient with diabetes, you are accustomed to managing diabetes and maintaining appropriate blood sugar levels on a daily basis. Many people with diabetes have mastered the principles of glucose management and successfully put them into practice every day. When you’re receiving medical care, don’t let this positive attitude stop at the hospital door. Visiting a hospital using...

The Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM) recognizes the importance of successful glycemic control in hospitalized patient populations as well as the unfortunate gap in best practice and standard procedures in most hospitals today. Further, it recognizes that hypoglycemia is a common outcome of current attempts to control hyperglycemia in inpatient settings. SHM provides a step-by-step guide for addressing these issues...

While dosing protocols may be carefully calculated, a hospitalized patient’s need for insulin may change quickly based on a wide range of factors. Insulin therapy must follow suit. Compared to paper protocols and lookup tables, computerized insulin management solutions enhance ease of use and accuracy. However, many computerized systems rely on the same imprecise protocols as manual methods and fall...

Hyperglycemia, or high blood sugar, can negatively affect hospitalized patients who fail to produce sufficient insulin to metabolize the sugar contents of their blood. Aside from patients with diabetes, hyperglycemia can result from medical conditions. Stroke or myocardial infarction (heart attack) patients, patients who have problems with the thyroid, adrenal, pituitary gland, pancreas, and patients who undergo major surgeries may...

How low can you go? When it comes to sugar levels and you begin to experience hypoglycemic symptoms, it depends who you ask. According to the American Diabetes Association, hypoglycemia is a condition characterized by abnormally low blood glucose (blood sugar) levels, usually less than 70 mg/dL. While the Endocrine Society classifies hypoglycemia as a clinically low blood glucose level accompanied...

Hyperglycemia. Hypoglycemia. What’s the difference? What’s the significance? Hyper, derived from Greek, means above, or in excess, while glyc denotes sweet, and mia means in the blood. Together, they mean too much glucose in the blood. Hypo, also Greek, means less than normal or deficient, in this case too little glucose in the blood. Both conditions are commonly associated with diabetes...

In hospitalized patients, managing blood glucose levels is a complex and sometimes controversial issue. For about 20 percent of the hospitalized population, hyperglycemia (excess blood sugar) has a significant detrimental impact, which includes increased mortality. This also correlates with increased morbidity, negative outcomes, increased length of stay in the ICU and in the hospital. Additionally, it is associated with higher...