Inpatient Diabetes Management in the Twenty-First Century

Towards a Region-Wide Glycaemic Management System: Strategies and Applications for Glycaemic Management of Patients with Diabetes During Hospitalisation

Objective

This study proposes a region-wide blood glucose management system to solve the problem of blood glucose management in patients with diabetes.

Methods

A professional team of doctors, nurses and dietitians jointly developed a region-wide blood glucose management system. The system operates through a collaborative approach where each team member utilises their specialised role, such as data monitoring, algorithm development or patient support, to contribute to a comprehensive blood glucose management network. This integration ensures accurate glucose tracking, personalised feedback and timely adjustments to treatment plans. The system allows the patient to have a good treatment plan, giving comprehensive medical guidance, and the physician team is responsible for the patient's health status.

Results

The region-wide blood glucose management system increased the overall blood glucose monitoring rate of patients and reduced the hospitalisation time (from 11.27 days to 9.52 days) and hospitalisation costs (from 12,173.8 yuan to 9502.4 yuan). At the same time, the system effectively counted the incidence and occurrence time of hyperglycaemia and hypoglycaemia adverse events, which can provide a reference for clinical prevention of adverse events.

Conclusion

A region-wide blood glucose management system can improve medical efficiency, save medical resources and provide a strong guarantee for the health of patients with diabetes. Compared with the traditional diabetes management mode, the region-wide blood glucose management system is more systematic and standardised, meaning it can better meet the needs of patients with diabetes.

Management of Individuals With Diabetes at High Risk for Hypoglycemia: An Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline

CONTEXT

Hypoglycemia in people with diabetes is common, especially in those taking medications such as insulin and sulfonylureas (SU) that place them at higher risk. Hypoglycemia is associated with distress in those with diabetes and their families, medication nonadherence, and disruption of life and work, and it leads to costly emergency department visits and hospitalizations, morbidity, and mortality.

OBJECTIVE

To review and update the diabetes-specific parts of the 2009 Evaluation and Management of Adult Hypoglycemic Disorders: Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline and to address developing issues surrounding hypoglycemia in both adults and children living with diabetes. The overriding objectives are to reduce and prevent hypoglycemia.

METHODS

A multidisciplinary panel of clinician experts, together with a patient representative, and methodologists with expertise in evidence synthesis and guideline development, identified and prioritized 10 clinical questions related to hypoglycemia in people living with diabetes. Systematic reviews were conducted to address all the questions. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology was used to assess the certainty of evidence and make recommendations.

RESULTS

The panel agreed on 10 questions specific to hypoglycemia risk and prevention in people with diabetes for which 10 recommendations were made. The guideline includes conditional recommendations for use of real-time continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) and algorithm-driven insulin pumps in people with type 1 diabetes (T1D), use of CGM for outpatients with type 2 diabetes at high risk for hypoglycemia, use of long-acting and rapid-acting insulin analogs, and initiation of and continuation of CGM for select inpatient populations at high risk for hypoglycemia. Strong recommendations were made for structured diabetes education programs for those at high risk for hypoglycemia, use of glucagon preparations that do not require reconstitution vs those that do for managing severe outpatient hypoglycemia for adults and children, use of real-time CGM for individuals with T1D receiving multiple daily injections, and the use of inpatient glycemic management programs leveraging electronic health record data to reduce the risk of hypoglycemia.

CONCLUSION

The recommendations are based on the consideration of critical outcomes as well as implementation factors such as feasibility and values and preferences of people with diabetes. These recommendations can be used to inform clinical practice and health care system improvement for this important complication for people living with diabetes.

Machine-learning Prediction of Hypo- and Hyperglycemia from Electronic Health Records: Algorithm Development and Validation

Background

Acute blood glucose (BG) decompensations (hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia) represent a frequent and significant risk for inpatients and adversely affect patient outcomes and safety. The increasing need for BG management in inpatients poses a high demand on clinical staff and health care systems in addition.

Objective

This study aimed to generate a broadly applicable multiclass classification model for predicting BG decompensation events from patients’ electronic health records to indicate where adjustments in patient monitoring and therapeutic interventions are required. This should allow for taking proactive measures before BG levels are derailed.

Methods

A retrospective cohort study was conducted on patients who were hospitalized at a tertiary hospital in Bern, Switzerland. Using patient details and routine data from electronic health records, a multiclass prediction model for BG decompensation events (<3.9 mmol/L [hypoglycemia] or >10, >13.9, or >16.7 mmol/L [representing different degrees of hyperglycemia]) was generated based on a second-level ensemble of gradient-boosted binary trees.

Results

A total of 63,579 hospital admissions of 38,250 patients were included in this study. The multiclass prediction model reached specificities of 93.7%, 98.9%, and 93.9% and sensitivities of 67.1%, 59%, and 63.6% for the main categories of interest, which were nondecompensated cases, hypoglycemia, or hyperglycemia, respectively. The median prediction horizon was 7 hours and 4 hours for hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia, respectively.

Conclusions

Electronic health records have the potential to reliably predict all types of BG decompensation. Readily available patient details and routine laboratory data can support the decisions for proactive interventions and thus help to reduce the detrimental health effects of hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia.

Insulin management in hospitalized patients with diabetes mellitus on high-dose glucocorticoids: Management of steroid-exacerbated hyperglycemia

Background

Glucocorticoid (GC)-exacerbated hyperglycemia is prevalent in hospitalized patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) but evidence-based insulin guidelines in inpatient settings are lacking.

Methods and findings

Retrospective cohort study with capillary blood glucose (CBG) readings and insulin use, dosed with 50% basal (glargine)-50% bolus (lispro) insulin, analyzed in hospitalized patients with insulin-treated DM given GC and matched controls without GC (n = 131 pairs). GC group (median daily prednisone-equivalent dose: 53.36 mg (IQR 30.00, 80.04)) had greatest CBG differences compared to controls at dinner (254±69 vs. 184±63 mg/dL, P<0.001) and bedtime (260±72 vs. 182±55 mg/dL, P<0.001). In GC group, dinner CBG was 30% higher than lunch (254±69 vs. 199±77 mg/dL, P<0.001) when similar lispro to controls given at lunch. Bedtime CBG not different from dinner when 20% more lispro given at dinner (0.12 units/kg (IQR 0.08, 0.17) vs. 0.10 units/kg (0.06, 0.14), P<0.01). Despite receiving more lispro, bedtime hypoglycemic events were lower in GC group (0.0% vs. 5.9%, P = 0.03).

Conclusions

Since equal bolus doses inadequately treat large dinner and bedtime GC-exacerbated glycemic excursions, initiating higher bolus insulin at lunch and dinner with additional enhanced GC-specific insulin supplemental scale may be needed as initial insulin doses in setting of high-dose GC.

Association Between Intra-Hospital Uncontrolled Glycemia and Health Outcomes in Patients with Diabetes: A Systematic Review of Observational Studies

BACKGROUND

Many people are still getting affected by uncontrolled glycemic events during hospital admission, which encompasses hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia, and high glycemic variability.

INTRODUCTION

Primary studies have shown an association of glycemic dysregulation with increased length of hospital stay and mortality among overall patients, however, there is no systematic review of current evidence on the association between uncontrolled in-hospital glycemia in patients with diabetes and health outcomes. This study aimed to systematically review the current evidence on the association between uncontrolled in-hospital glycemia in patients with diabetes and health outcomes.

METHODS

The association between glycemic dysregulation and health outcomes for inpatients with diabetes was systematically reviewed. PubMed, Embase, and LILACS databases were searched. Two independent reviewers were involved in each of the following steps: screening titles, abstracts, and fulltexts; assessing the methodological quality; and extracting data from included reviews. Descriptive analysis method was used.

RESULTS

Seven cohort studies were included, and only two had a prospective design, consisting of 7,174 hospitalized patients with diabetes. In-hospital occurrence of hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia, and glycemic variability were assessed, and outcomes were mortality, infections, renal complications, and adverse events. Among the exposure and outcomes, an association was observed between severe hypoglycemia and mortality, hyperglycemia and infection, and hyperglycemia and adverse events.

CONCLUSION

In-hospital uncontrolled glycemia in patients with diabetes is associated with poor health outcomes. More studies should be conducted for proper investigation because diabetes is a complex condition. Effects of glycemic dysregulation should be investigated on the basis of overall health of a patient instead from only organ-target perspective, which makes the investigation difficult.

Diagnosis and Management Considerations in Steroid-Related Hyperglycemia in COVID-19: A Position Statement from the Endocrine Society of India

The current coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is showing no signs of abatement and result in significant morbidity and mortality in the infected patients. Many therapeutic agents ranging widely between antivirals and anti-inflammatory drugs have been used to mitigate the disease burden. In the deluge of the drugs being used for COVID-19 infection, glucocorticoids (GCs) stand out by reducing mortality amongst in-hospital severe-to-critically ill patients. Health-care practitioners have seen this as a glimmer of hope and started using these drugs more frequently than ever in clinical practice. The fear of mortality in the short term has overridden the concern of adverse long-term consequences with steroid use. The ease of availability, low cost, and apparent clinical improvement in the short term have led to the unscrupulous use of the steroids even in mild COVID-19 patients including self-medication with steroids. The use of GCs has led to the increasing incidence of hyperglycemia and consequent acute complications of diabetic ketoacidosis and mucormycosis in COVID-19 patients. There is an urgent need to dissipate information about optimum management of hyperglycemia during steroid use. In view of this, the Endocrine Society of India has formulated this position statement about the diagnosis and management of hyperglycemia due to the use of GCs in patients with COVID-19 infection.

Management of hyperglycaemia in persons with non-insulin-dependent type 2 diabetes mellitus who are started on systemic glucocorticoid therapy: a systematic review

OBJECTIVES

What is the most effective pharmacological intervention for glycaemic control in known type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) without prior insulin treatment and newly started on systemic glucocorticoid therapy?

DESIGN

We conducted a systematic literature review.

DATA SOURCES

We searched MEDLINE, Embase and Cochrane Library databases and Google for articles from 2002 to July 2018.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

We combined search terms relating to DM (patients, >16 years of age), systemic glucocorticoids, glycaemic control, randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies.

DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS

We screened and evaluated articles, extracted data and assessed risk of bias and quality of evidence according to Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation guidelines.

RESULTS

Eight of 2365 articles met full eligibility criteria. Basal-bolus insulin (BBI) strategy for patients under systemic glucocorticoid therapy was comparatively effective but provided insufficient glucose control, depending on time of day. BBI strategy with long-acting insulin and neutral protamin Hagedorn as basal insulin provided similar overall glycaemic control. Addition of various insulin strategies to standard BBI delivered mixed results. Intermediate-acting insulin (IMI) as additional insulin conferred no clear benefits, and glycaemic control with sliding scale insulin was inferior to BBI or IMI. No studies addressed whether anticipatory or compensatory insulin adjustments are better for glycaemic control.

CONCLUSION

The lack of suitably designed RCTs and observational studies, heterogeneity of interventions, target glucose levels and glucose monitoring, poor control of DM subgroups and low to moderate quality of evidence render identification of optimal pharmacological interventions for glycaemic control and insulin management difficult. Even findings on the widely recommended BBI regimen as intensive insulin therapy for patients with DM on glucocorticoids are inconclusive. High-quality evidence from studies with well-defined DM phenotypes, settings and treatment approaches is needed to determine optimal pharmacological intervention for glycaemic control.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER

CRD42015024739.

The management of diabetic ketoacidosis at a rural regional hospital in KwaZulu-Natal

Background

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a biochemical triad of hyperglycaemia, ketoacidosis and ketonaemia and one of the potentially life-threatening acute metabolic complications of diabetes mellitus. This study aimed at describing the clinical profile of patients presenting with DKA to a busy rural regional hospital in KwaZulu-Natal.

Methods

A retrospective review of clinical notes of patients presenting with DKA to the Emergency Department was performed over a 10-month period. Data included patients’ demographic profile, clinical presentation, precipitating factors, comorbidities, biochemical profile, length of hospital stay and outcome.

Results

One hundred and five black South African patients above the age of 12 years were included in the study. Sixty-four (60.95%) patients had type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and 41 (39.05%) patients had type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Patients with T2DM were significantly older than those with T1DM (52.1 ± 12.4 years vs. 24.4 ± 9.5 years, p < 0.0001). The acute precipitant was identified in 68 (64.76%) cases with the commonest precipitant in T1DM patients being poor adherence to treatment, whereas in T2DM, the most common precipitant was infection. Nausea and vomiting were the most common presenting symptoms with the majority of patients presenting with non-specific symptoms. Fifty-seven (54.29%) cases had pre-existing comorbidities, with higher prevalence in T2DM than T1DM patients. Glycated haemoglobin was severely elevated in the majority of patients. Patients remained hospitalised for an average of 8.9 ± 7.5 days. The mortality rate was 17.14%, and 12 of the 18 deaths occurred in patients with T2DM.

Conclusion

The prevalence of DKA was higher in patients with T1DM and those with pre-existing comorbidities. The mortality rate remains alarmingly high in older patients with T2DM.

Type 2 Diabetes and Osteoporosis: A Guide to Optimal Management

CONTEXT

Both type 2 diabetes (T2D) and osteoporosis are affected by aging and quite often coexist. Furthermore, the fracture risk in patients with T2D is increased. The aim of this article is to review updated information on osteoporosis and fracture risk in patients with T2D, to discuss the effects of diabetes treatment on bone metabolism, as well as the effect of antiosteoporotic medications on the incidence and control of T2D, and to provide a personalized guide to the optimal management.

EVIDENCE ACQUISITION

A systematic literature search for human studies was conducted in three electronic databases (PubMed, Cochrane, and EMBASE) until March 2017. Regarding recommendations, we adopted the grading system introduced by the American College of Physicians.

EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS

The results are presented in systematic tables. Healthy diet and physical exercise are very important for the prevention and treatment of both entities. Metformin, sulfonylureas, dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors, and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists should be preferred for the treatment of T2D in these patients, whereas strict targets should be avoided for the fear of hypoglycemia, falls, and fractures. Insulin should be used with caution and with careful measures to avoid hypoglycemia. Thiazolidinediones and canagliflozin should be avoided, whereas other sodium-dependent glucose transporter 2 inhibitors are less well-validated options. Insulin therapy is the preferred method for achieving glycemic control in hospitalized patients with T2D and fractures. The treatment and monitoring of osteoporosis should be continued without important amendments because of the presence of T2D.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with coexisting T2D and osteoporosis should be managed in an optimal way according to scientific evidence.