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Updated: Aug 7, 2026

Improving IV Insulin Administration in a Community Hospital
Published on: June 11, 2012
Model based study on monitoring ketone bodies to improve safety in intensive insulin therapy
P G Fabietti1, V Canonico, M Orsini Federici
1DIMI Department of Internal Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia - Italy. bioingegneria@dimisem.med.unipg.it
Aim:
The present study explores new signals (capillary 3betahydroxybutyrate - 3betaOHB) for improving the safety of a closed loop insulin infusion system (external wearable artificial pancreas).
Methods:
Data collected during a clinical trial on diabetic subjects including a period of insulin deprivation were interpreted through mathematical models to simulate the effect of monitoring ketone bodies (capillary 3betaOHB, KB) compared to blood glucose in subjects on Continuous Subcutaneous Insulin Infusion (CSII) treatment.
Results:
The estimation of model coefficients satisfactorily fits experimental data. The evaluation of dynamic changes of capillary 3betaOHB levels showed a more rapid response than blood glucose.
Conclusions:
The effect of the combination of monitoring of glucose and ketone bodies can consistently improve the safety and efficacy of the use of a closed loop system for glycemic control in dangerous situations like ketoacidosis. If a subcutaneous glucose-ketone bodies sensor were to become available in the near future it would be a key component of an external artificial pancreas.
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