Study of a Model-based Approach to Blood Glucose Control in Very-low-birthweight Neonates
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2011-06-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Very low birthweight neonates commonly develop high blood sugar levels. There is an
association between high blood sugar levels and poorer short term outcomes but it is not
known whether the high sugar level itself actually causes the problems.
There are a range of ways to manage high sugar levels but there are no consensus guidelines
to follow. One option is to manage the high sugar levels with an infusion of insulin. Studies
looking at insulin infusions have often used fixed protocols to guide the amount of insulin
to be given and are often complicated by hypoglycaemia.
This study investigated whether using a model-based approach to individualise insulin
administration to neonates with high sugar levels would provide a safe and effective
management option for controlling blood sugar levels and avoid the complication of low blood
sugar levels.