Clinical Background

Numerous studies have been published demonstrating improved patient outcomes from normalizing glucose levels in hyperglycemic patients. Key clinical benefits that have been realized by achieving tight glycemic control (TGC) include:

  • Reduced mortality1,2

  • Reduced morbidity3

  • Reduced length of stay1-3

  • Reduced overall costs3

Clinicians have been eager to adopt glycemic control protocols to help realize the benefits of improved glycemic control for their patients, but struggle to meet the associated glucose monitoring requirements with currently available manual methods.

Barriers to Achieving Glycemic Control

Although hospitals have aggressively adopted glycemic control protocols, success in achieving the potential clinical benefits with today�s manual, finger-stick technology has been hampered due to three principal reasons:

 

Fear of Hypoglycemia

Insulin dosing errors

Burden on nursing staff

 

Although most nurses endorse tight glycemic control, the work associated with it is burdensome and costly

 

"Although most nurses endorse tight glycemic control, the work associated with it is burdensome and costly. Easier clinical methods for monitoring blood glucose levels are needed."4

The Solution

Thought leaders agree that an automated blood glucose monitor will play a key role in the safe and effective implementation of glycemic control protocols.

 

  • “We must transition to continuous or near-continuous blood glucometry through a technology breakthrough.”
    Nasraway  (Critical Care Medicine 2007 v35, n10, p2435).

  • “Preliminary clinical evaluations of the accuracy of continuous or near-continuous glucose monitors have been published recently. These devices offer the promise of a reduction in severe hypoglycemia, glycemic variability and the nursing work burden, and will probably become a cornerstone of SEGC.”
    Krinsley and Preiser (Critical Care, May 2008, v12, n3).

  • “The development of an accurate and reliable continuous blood sensor is likely to facilitate implementation of tight blood glucose control in ICU and to reduce the nursing workload”.
    Vanhorebeek, et al. (Chest , v123, issue 1, July 2007).

Sources:

1Van den Berghe, et al. NEJM 2001, v345, n19, p1359-1367. 2Van den Berghe, et al. NEJM 2006, v354, n5, p449 3Krinsley et al., CHEST, March 2006; p644-650. 4Aragon D: Am J Crit Care 2006, 15: p370-377