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Glucose Levels in Critically Ill Patients Can Be Critical |
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FRIDAY, Aug. 20 (HealthDayNews) -- Strict control of blood glucose levels can boost the survival rate of critically ill patients, says a new study.
"This is a low-cost, effective intervention that can profoundly affect patients," study author Dr. James Krinsley, director of critical care at Stamford Hospital, in Stamford, Conn., and an associate professor of medicine at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, said in a prepared statement.
"Intensive glucose management will eventually become a standard of care in ICUs [intensive care units] worldwide," Krinsley said.
He compared results for 800 patients admitted to the ICU before strict glucose control guidelines were in place to 800 patients admitted after the new guidelines were in effect. The death rate was 29.3 percent lower (49 people) in the group treated with the new protocol.
The patients treated with the new protocol also had a decrease in the development of kidney failure and a decrease in the need for red blood cell transfusions. They also had shorter stays in ICU.
The study appears in the August issue of the Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
More information
The American Association for Clinical Chemistry has information about glucose tests.
(SOURCE: Mayo Clinic, news release, Aug. 16, 2004)
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