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Updated: Aug 14, 2026

Improving IV Insulin Administration in a Community Hospital
Published on: June 11, 2012
Use of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion pump in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus
Susan Nielsen1, Donna Kain1, Elizabeth Szudzik1
1The Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, State University of New York and Kaleida Health, Buffalo, New York
Purpose:
In patients with type 2 diabetes, the control of hyperglycemia is often difficult despite full doses of oral hypoglycemic agents and extremely large doses of insulin. These patients pose a major management problem. The authors therefore investigated whether insulin given as a subcutaneous continuous infusion of insulin (CSII) would result in an improvement in glucose homeostasis.
Methods:
Four patients with badly controlled type 2 diabetes, on treatment with extremely high doses of insulin and oral hypoglycemic agents, were started on CSII.
Results:
All four patients had a marked improvement in plasma glucose concentrations with a corresponding fall in HbA1c levels. This improvement was associated with a marked fall in the insulin doses necessary to maintain adequate glucose homeostasis.
Conclusions:
Since HbA1c levels fell from levels that would be associated with diabetic complications to those at which complications are markedly reduced, we recommend that patients with type 2 diabetes uncontrolled on extremely high doses of insulin be given a trial of treatment with CSII.
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