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Updated: Feb 13, 2026
04:53
A Clinical Trial Assessing the Safety, Efficacy, and Delivery of Olive-Oil-Based Three-Chamber Bags for Parenteral Nutrition
Published on: September 20, 2019
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Reducing Blood Glucose Testing Is Safe in Patients Receiving Parenteral Nutrition
Ashley Ratliff1, Amy Nishnick1, Robert DeChicco1
1Nutrition Support Team, Center for Human Nutrition Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
Summary
Reducing blood glucose testing frequency in patients on parenteral nutrition (PN) lowers costs and improves patient comfort without increasing glycemic events. This study found fewer point-of-care tests were needed.
Area of Science:
- Clinical Nutrition
- Endocrinology
- Healthcare Management
Background:
- Hyperglycemia is a frequent complication of parenteral nutrition (PN), lacking standardized glucose monitoring protocols.
- Excessive point-of-care (POC) blood glucose (BG) testing incurs costs and patient discomfort.
- This study addresses the need for optimized glucose monitoring in PN patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate if reducing POC glucose testing frequency in PN patients decreases healthcare costs.
- To determine if a reduced testing schedule increases the incidence of glycemic events.
- To establish evidence-based guidelines for POC BG monitoring in PN.
Main Methods:
- Adult, non-critically ill patients receiving PN and managed by a nutrition support team were studied.
- New guidelines for initiating and discontinuing POC BG monitoring were implemented.
- Pre- and post-intervention data on POC glucose and basic metabolic panel (BMP) glucose were collected and analyzed using equivalency testing.
Main Results:
- A significant reduction in total POC tests per patient (median 23.0 vs 25.5) and daily POC tests (2.9 vs 3.6) was observed post-guideline implementation (P = .011 and P < .001, respectively).
- Average BMP glucose levels remained equivalent between groups (126 mg/dL vs 129 mg/dL; P = .005).
- The frequency of hypoglycemic and hyperglycemic events per 100 tests was equivalent in both pre- and post-intervention periods (P < .001).
Conclusions:
- New guidelines successfully decreased POC BG testing frequency by 20% in PN patients.
- Reduced testing frequency is associated with potential cost savings and enhanced patient comfort.
- The optimized monitoring strategy did not lead to an increase in average BG levels or glycemic events.
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