1. Development of a pharmacist-managed protocol for the transition from intravenous to subcutaneous insulin in critically ill adults.
- Author
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Gerhardt JM, Dine SA, Foster DR, Lodolo AC, McIntire AM, Peters MJ, Rhew TA, and Walroth TA
- Subjects
- Adolescent, Adult, Blood Glucose, Critical Illness therapy, Humans, Hypoglycemic Agents adverse effects, Infusions, Intravenous, Insulin adverse effects, Observational Studies as Topic, Pharmacists, Retrospective Studies, Hyperglycemia diagnosis, Hyperglycemia drug therapy, Hypoglycemia chemically induced, Hypoglycemia drug therapy
- Abstract
Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of a pharmacist-managed protocol for transitioning critically ill patients from intravenous (IV) to subcutaneous insulin., Methods: This single-center, retrospective, observational study included patients admitted to the medical or surgical/trauma intensive care unit who received a continuous infusion of IV insulin from January 2019 to April 2021. Patients were excluded if they were less than 18 years old, pregnant, or incarcerated or received IV insulin for the diagnosis of diabetic ketoacidosis, hyperglycemic hyperosmolar state, calcium channel blocker or β-blocker overdose, or hypertriglyceridemia. The primary outcome was to evaluate the percentage of blood glucose (BG) concentrations within the target range of 70 to 150 mg/dL within 48 hours of the transition to subcutaneous insulin. Secondary outcomes included the percentage of BG concentrations within the goal range following transition at 0 to 12 hours and 12 to 24 hours, the incidence of hypo- and hyperglycemia, and the percentage of patients requiring dose adjustments after the initial transition., Results: Pharmacists were able to achieve BG concentrations in the target range for 53% of transitions at 12 hours, 40% of transitions at 24 hours, and 47% of transitions at 48 hours. With respect to safety endpoints, the pharmacist-managed group had a low rate of hypoglycemia (1.0%) and no severe hypoglycemia. Hyperglycemia was reported for 28% of BG concentrations while severe hyperglycemia was reported for 27%. Pharmacists transitioned patients to an average of 63% of the 24-hour total daily dose of insulin as basal insulin., Conclusion: Pharmacists can effectively and safely transition critically ill patients from IV to subcutaneous insulin utilizing a standardized protocol., (© American Society of Health-System Pharmacists 2022. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)
- Published
- 2022
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