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Insulin infusion for hyperglycaemia in very preterm infants appears safe with no effect on morbidity, mortality and

Alicia Heald1, Mohamed E Abdel-Latif, Alison L Kent

  • 1Australian National University Medical School, Canberra, 2601, ACT, Australia.

The Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine : the Official Journal of the European Association of Perinatal Medicine, the Federation of Asia and Oceania Perinatal Societies, the International Society of Perinatal Obstetricians
|June 7, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Insulin infusions for hyperglycaemia in premature infants are safe, with rare hypoglycaemia and no increased risk of major complications or long-term neurodevelopmental issues.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal Medicine
  • Endocrinology
  • Perinatal Research

Background:

  • Hyperglycaemia is frequent in very premature neonates, increasing risks of intraventricular hemorrhage, necrotizing enterocolitis, sepsis, and death.
  • Insulin administration for hyperglycaemia may pose risks of hypoglycemia and related complications.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the safety and efficacy of insulin infusions in very premature infants.
  • To determine the impact of insulin therapy on morbidity, mortality, and long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective audit of 97 infants born before 29 weeks gestation admitted to NICU.
  • Collected data on insulin treatment, blood glucose levels (BGLs), hypoglycemia episodes, and neurodevelopmental outcomes at 12 months corrected age.

Main Results:

  • 17.5% of neonates received insulin; hypoglycemia episodes were infrequent (1.3%).
  • Insulin treatment was not associated with increased retinopathy of prematurity or mortality.
  • No significant differences in neurodevelopmental or anthropometric outcomes were observed between infants who received insulin and those who did not.

Conclusions:

  • Insulin infusions for neonatal hyperglycaemia appear safe in very premature infants.
  • The treatment is associated with infrequent hypoglycemia and no increased risk of morbidity or mortality.
  • No adverse effects on long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes were detected.
Abstract

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