Glucose as the Fifth Vital Sign: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Continuous Glucose Monitoring in a Non-ICU Hospital Setting.

<bold>Objective: </bold>The current standard for hospital glucose management is point-of-care (POC) testing. We conducted a randomized controlled trial of real-time continuous glucose monitoring (RT-CGM) compared with POC in a non-intensive care unit (ICU) hospital setting.<bold>Research Design and Methods: </bold>A total of 110 adults with type 2 diabetes on a non-ICU floor received RT-CGM with Dexcom G6 versus usual care (UC). RT-CGM data were wirelessly transmitted from the bedside. Hospital telemetry monitored RT-CGM data and notified bedside nursing of glucose alerts and trends. Standardized protocols were used for interventions.<bold>Results: </bold>The RT-CGM group demonstrated significantly lower mean glucose (M∆ = -18.5 mg/dL) and percentage of time in hyperglycemia >250 mg/dL (-11.41%) and higher time in range 70-250 mg/dL (+11.26%) compared with UC (P values <0.05). Percentage of time in hypoglycemia was very low.<bold>Conclusions: </bold>RT-CGM can be used successfully in community-based hospital non-ICU settings to improve glucose management. Continuously streaming glucose readings may truly be the fifth vital sign. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]