Target attainment through algorithm design during intravenous insulin infusion

Algorithms were designed under a single model, to attain differing designated glycemic targets during intravenous insulin infusion, and evaluated in order to justify computerization of the model. The approximate maintenance rate (MR) of insulin infusion is discovered according to rate of change of blood glucose (BG) and previous insulin infusion rate (IR). During treatment, re-assignment of IR depends on MR and BG. For each MR, a roughly sigmoidal relationship between BG and IR is specified, such that the inflection point falls approximately at a true target BG.

Performance at St. Francis Hospital, Evanston, IL, was examined during use of tabular algorithms targeting three distinct BG ranges, appropriate for the treatment of hyperglycemic hyperosmolar state, diabetic ketoacidosis, or hyperglycemia accompanying other critical illness. Group membership was defined according to algorithm used for patient treatment during the first 6 months of 2012. The group geometric mean (GGM) and multiplicative surrogate standard deviation (MSSD) are reported as group measures, respectively typifying the central tendency and variability of individual patient BG distributions.

Between first attainment of target range BG control and a data collection end point, BG data were evaluable during treatment courses for 58 patients. During this time frame, in the group treated with target 100-149 mg/dL, there were five episodes of BG <70 mg/dL for each of five patients, with the lowest being 57 mg/dL. The GGM (with multiplicative standard deviation) was 269.4 (÷/× 1.06) mg/dL for the algorithm having target 200-299 mg/dL (n = 3 treatment courses), 172.6 (÷/× 1.15) mg/dL for target 150-199 mg/dL (n = 7), and 131.3 (÷/× 1.19) mg/dL for target 100-149 mg/dL (n = 48). The values of MSSD for the three groups were (÷/× 1.14), (÷/× 1.20), and (÷/× 1.20), respectively.

The pilot series suggests that once target range BG is attained, maintenance of control within each of three distinct BG target ranges is achievable, according to choice of algorithm.