A Retrospective Cohort Analysis of Two Computerized Insulin Infusion Protocols

Abstract

Objective: The primary objective of this analysis was to compare the safety and efficacy of a novel computerized insulin infusion protocol (CIIP), the Lalani Insulin Infusion Protocol (LIIP), with an established CIIP, Glucommander. Methods: We conducted a 10-month retrospective analysis of 778 patients in whom LIIP was used (August 18, 2020 to June 25, 2021) at six HonorHealth Hospitals in the Phoenix metropolitan area. These data were compared with Glucommander that was used at those same hospitals from January 1, 2018 to August 17, 2020, n = 4700. Primary end points of the project included average time to euglycemia and average time in hyperglycemia (>180 mg/dL) and hypoglycemia (<70 mg/dL). Additional subgroup analysis was done to evaluate CIIP performance in patients in whom maintenance of euglycemia was more challenging. Results: The LIIP had a faster time to euglycemia (191 vs 222 minutes, P < .001) and similar time in hypoglycemia (2.79 vs 2.76 minutes, P = .50) for all patients, when compared with Glucommander. Similar observations were made for the following subgroups: diabetic ketoacidosis/hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state (DKA/HHS) patients, COVID-19 patients, patients on steroids, patients with ≥60 glomerular filtration rate (GFR), patients with renal insufficiency, and patients with sepsis. Conclusions: The LIIP is a safe and effective CIIP in managing intravenous insulin infusion rates. Utilization of LIIP resulted in reduced time to euglycemia, P < .001, when compared with Glucommander and did not cause increased hypoglycemia during the project period. Contributing factors to the success of LIIP may include improved clinical workflow, learnability and ease of use, compatibility with the Epic electronic health record (EHR), and its unique, dynamic and adaptive algorithm.