ROCHESTER, Minn. -- A study in the December issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings on blood-sugar levels in 1,826 intensive care unit patients showed that hyperglycemia (high blood-sugar levels) increased the patient's chance of death. The findings have important implications for the management of blood sugar in critically ill patients.

Even a modest degree of hyperglycemia was associated with a substantial increase in deaths in patients with a wide range of medical and surgical diagnoses, says James Krinsley, M.D., director of critical care at The Stamford Hospital in Stamford, Conn., and author of the study.

Hyperglycemia is common in critically ill adults. Standard clinical practice has been to tolerate a moderate degree of hyperglycemia in these patients. However, Dr. Krinsley says the findings from this study suggest a new approach to glucose management in the intensive care unit, and should prompt additional studies.

"Although hyperglycemia can be a marker of severity of illness, it may also worsen outcomes," Dr. Krinsley says. "We think that tight glucose control results in improved vascular function and lower risk of infection."

Dr. Krinsley, who is an associate clinical professor of medicine at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, reviewed data for 1,826 patients whose glucose values were obtained during their intensive care unit stay at The Stamford Hospital between Oct. 1, 1999, and April 4, 2002. The lowest death rates occurred in patients whose average glucose levels were in the lower end of the normal range. Death rates increased as the average glucose levels increased. This association was noted among people with and without diabetes.

Based on these findings, a multidisciplinary team at The Stamford Hospital has developed a protocol for intensive monitoring and treatment of glucose levels of patients admitted to the critical care unit. The team is studying whe
'"/>


9-Dec-2003

Page: 1 2
Related medicine news :

1. Charcoal and forest management could reduce greenhouse gas levels & save lives in Africa
2. Physicians may not be accurate in their confidence levels of their diagnoses, says Pitt study
3. Decreased levels of good cholesterol in children with Progeria may cause premature heart disease
4. Study finds indoor allergen levels vary, cockroach allergens cause more asthma symptoms
5. Small increases or blips in HIV levels do not signal mutations leading to drug-resistant HIV
6. High levels of airborne mouse allergen in inner-city homes could trigger asthma attacks
7. Elevated glucose levels and diabetes are associated with increased risk for cancer
8. McGill researchers identify new way to reduce cholesterol levels
9. Hepatitis C at epidemic levels among young injectors in London
10. High fiber intake reduces estrogen levels in Latina women, say Keck School of Medicine researchers
11. UCI center finds perchlorate may be acceptable in drinking water at higher levels