Hypoxic hepatitis is the consequence of multiorgan injury. Outcome is influenced by the severity of liver impairment and the etiology and severity of the basic disease.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the impact of real-time continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) on glycemic control and risk of hypoglycemia in critically ill patients.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODSA total 124 patients receiving mechanical ventilation were randomly assigned to the real-time CGM group (n = 63; glucose values given every 5 min) or to the control group (n = 61; selective arterial glucose measurements according to an algorithm; simultaneously blinded CGM) for 72 h. Insulin infusion rates were guided according to the same algorithm in both groups. The primary end point was percentage of time at a glucose level <110 mg/dl. Secondary end points were mean glucose levels and rate of severe hypoglycemia (<40 mg/dl).RESULTSPercentage of time at a glucose level <110 mg/dl (59.0 ± 20 vs. 55.0 ± 18% in the control group, P = 0.245) and the mean glucose level (106 ± 18 vs. 111 ± 10 mg/dl in the control group, P = 0.076) could not be improved using real-time CGM. The rate of severe hypoglycemia was lower in the real-time CGM group (1.6 vs. 11.5% in the control group, P = 0.031). CGM reduced the absolute risk of severe hypoglycemia by 9.9% (95% CI 1.2–18.6) with a number needed to treat of 10.1 (95% CI 5.4–83.3).CONCLUSIONSIn critically ill patients, real-time CGM reduces hypoglycemic events but does not improve glycemic control compared with intensive insulin therapy guided by an algorithm.

Circulatory shock requiring norepinephrine therapy, as well as other covariates, had no influence on the accuracy and reliability of the CGMS in critically ill patients.

The subcutaneous continuous glucose-monitoring system is reliable for use in critically ill patients and showed glucose values with a strong correlation to arterial reference blood glucose levels, determined by a blood gas analyzer.

No abstract