Utility of bedside artificial pancreas for postoperative glycemic control in cardiac surgery

Perioperative hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia, and high glycemic variability are independent risk factors for mortality in critically ill patients. After cardiac surgery, intensive glycemic control without hypoglycemia may help to reduce the number of adverse events; however, postoperative glycemic control is difficult in many cases. In this study, we investigated whether the bedside artificial pancreas STG-55 is useful for postoperative glycemic control in cardiac surgery.

In the present single-center retrospective study, we analyzed arterial blood glucose levels for 15 h after surgery in 69 patients treated using the bedside artificial pancreas and in 160 patients treated with continuous intravenous insulin infusion using a scale that adjusts for current blood glucose level, glycemic fluctuation, and insulin dose.

Hypoglycemia (arterial blood glucose level < 70 mg/dL) was not observed in any case. Patients in the group treated using the bedside artificial pancreas showed lower mean, maximum, and minimum blood glucose levels and glycemic variability and shorter treatment duration in the intensive care unit than patients treated with continuous intravenous insulin infusion. Notably, these results were not affected by diabetes status or differences in operative procedures. Analysis of patients undergoing isolated coronary artery bypass grafting surgery revealed that the incidence of surgical site complications composite with infection and dehiscence was lower.

In cardiac surgery, postoperative treatment using bedside artificial pancreas is a novel therapy that improves hyperglycemia and glycemic variability, without hypoglycemia, and is, therefore, an attractive strategy for future surgeries.