Continuous glucose monitor shows potential for early hypoglycemia detection in hospitalized patients.
OBJECTIVE
This study shows the potential of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) for the detection of hypoglycemia in hospitalized patients.


METHODS
A Medtronic Diabetes (Northridge, CA) CGMS iPro continuous glucose recorder was inserted into the subcutaneous tissue of a hospitalized orthopedic surgery patient with type 1 diabetes the day after a moderate hypoglycemia event. The interstitial fluid glucose concentration was recorded every 5 min. Both the patient and the hospital staff were blinded to the CGM data. Bedside capillary blood glucose measurements were performed per hospital protocol.


RESULTS
The CGM recorded a repeat severe episode of hypoglycemia the next day. The hospital-defined threshold for hypoglycemia (70 mg/dL) was crossed 4.5 h prior to the patient being found unconscious by the nursing staff.


CONCLUSIONS
Data from the CGMS iPro Recorder illustrate the potential benefit of using a real-time CGM in the hospital to detect hypoglycemia in a more timely fashion compared to infrequent point-of-care glucose meter measurements.
Ryan
Margaret T
MT
Department of Medicine, The Artificial Pancreas Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Savarese
Vincent W
VW
Hipszer
Brian
B
Dizdarevic
Ismar
I
Joseph
Mark
M
Shively
Nathan
N
Joseph
Jeffrey I
JI
D000328:Adult; D015374:Biosensing Techniques; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis*; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007003:Hypoglycemia / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015918:Infusion Pumps, Implantable; D007332:Insulin Infusion Systems; D018670:Monitoring, Ambulatory / Q000379:methods; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D010361:Patients
D001786:Blood Glucose