title: Impacts of insulin infusion protocol on blood glucose level and outcomes in acute coronary syndrome patients with diabetes mellitus.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Acute coronary syndrome is the most common disease in the world. Several studies suggest that hyperglycemia is associated with poor clinical outcomes in patients with coronary artery disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of insulin infusion protocol and conventional therapy on the blood glucose level and outcomes in acute coronary syndrome patients with diabetes mellitus.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 64 patients (32 in each group) with acute coronary syndrome and acute myocardial infarction, who were admitted to the coronary care unit in a hospital in Isfahan, Iran in 2012. Inclusion criterion was blood sugar (BS) of more than 180 mg/dl on admission. Patients in the intervention group received insulin with East Jefferson insulin infusion protocol for at least 4 h, and in the control group, the subjects received subcutaneous insulin (conventional therapy) for at least for 48 h. Independent t-test, Student's t-test, and Chi-square test were used to analyze the data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Groups were matched for baseline characteristics. Blood glucose was significantly reduced in the two groups (P < 0.001), and the mean blood glucose level in the interaction group was significantly less than in the control group (P = 0.0002). Hypoglycemia was 31.2% and 25% in the intervention and control groups, respectively. The frequency of hypoglycemia did not differ significantly between the two groups (P = 0.75). Time to reach target insulin level differed between the two groups (4.75 h in the intervention group and 36.93 h in the control group; P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our research showed that use of insulin infusion protocol is better in maintaining glycemia control compared to subcutaneous sliding scale method. The protocol allows nurses to commence and maintain the infusion more effectively and safely compared to the traditional method.
authors.affiliation: Department of Adult Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Fakhri
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sabouhi
authors.affiliation: Department of Critical Care Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Mahboubeh
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maleki
authors.affiliation: Endocrine and Metabolic Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Masoud
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Amini
authors.affiliation: Cardiologist, Saee Hospital of Khomeinishahr, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Maryam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kerdegari
keywords: Acute coronary syndrome; Iran; diabetes mellitus; insulin infusion systems; nursing