Tight Glucose Control Didn't Affect Intensive Care Unit Length of Stay or Lower Mortality

In critically ill patients, hyperglycemia is associated with poor outcomes. In the early 2000s, a single-center study showed benefit for tight glucose control, but subsequent multicenter studies did not confirm these findings and suggested risk for harm due to severe hypoglycemia.

Belgian investigators randomized more than 9000 critically ill patients from three hospitals to either tight (80–110 mg/dL) or liberal (180–215 mg/dL) glucose control, guided by a computer algorithm. Nearly half of patients were in the intensive care unit (ICU) after cardiac surgery, and about one quarter of patients had sepsis. All patients received enteral nutrition if they were able; parenteral nutrition was delayed until at least 1 week in the ICU. Half of pati…