Computerised insulin dosing calculators for the management of continuous insulin infusions after cardiac surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis
RIS ID
111553
Abstract
Objectives: To investigate the effectiveness of computerised insulin dosing calculators for the management of continuous insulin infusions in adult patients who underwent cardiac surgery.
Method: A systematic review was conducted. The CINAHL, MEDLINE and Cochrane databases were searched for primary studies that compared a computerised insulin dosing calculator to a paper protocol. The main outcome measures were mean Blood Glucose Level (BGL), time to achieve BGL target range, time spent within BGL target range, the incidence of hyperglycaemia and the incidence of hypoglycaemia.
Results: Five studies were included in the final review. Pooled data demonstrated significant improvements in mean BGL (MD -14.24, 95% CI -26.93 to -1.55), p = 0.03 and significantly lower rates of hypoglycaemia (OR 0.038, 95% CI: 0.16-0.90), p = 0.03 amongst the computer calculator groups in comparison to the paper protocol groups. No significant difference in the incidence of severe hypoglycaemia was demonstrated (OR 0.21, 95% CI 0.02-1.79), p = 0.15. No difference was found in time (hours) to reach target blood glucose range (MD -1.47, 95% CI -3.75 to 0.81), p = 0.21.
Conclusion: There is some evidence to support the use of computerised insulin dosing calculators for insulin infusion management within critical care environments.
Publication Details
Higgs, M. H. & Fernandez, R. S. (2016). Computerised insulin dosing calculators for the management of continuous insulin infusions after cardiac surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Intensive and Critical Care Nursing, Online First 1-8.