PhD student researching blood sugar levels of ICU patients

UC PhD student researching blood sugar levels of intensive care hospital patients
 
July 14, 2013
 
A University of Canterbury (UC) PhD student is researching the control of blood sugar levels of adult patients and neo-natal babies in hospital intensive care units.
 
Postgraduate Jennifer Dickson, from Taranaki, is part of the mechanical engineering research group at UC that, over the last 10 years, has been investigating the treatment of high blood sugar levels in intensive care patients.
 
``Insulin is widely used to treat high blood glucose levels, mostly in diabetics.  However, given too much insulin, patients’ blood sugar levels can drop dangerously low.
 
``The patients we look at do not have diabetes but, because of illness, injury and stress, they have temporarily reduced ability to regulate blood sugar levels.
 
``High blood sugar levels are associated with increased adverse outcomes such as increased mortality rates, organ failure, ventilator dependence, serious infections, slower healing times, and longer lengths of stay in intensive care. Low blood sugar levels can lead to brain damage or comas.
 
``Our research in this area has resulted in a tablet computer-based decision support system, called STAR, to assist doctors in dosing insulin safely and effectively. It is world leading research in its area and STAR is currently being trialled overseas in hospitals in Belgium and Hungary.
 
``We are especially interested in helping pre-term babies. About five or six thousand babies, eight percent of all New Zealand babies born every year, are born prematurely. About 20 percent of these premature births occur at less than 30 weeks
 
``Babies born pre-term can be cared for if they are at least 23-24 gestational weeks. They are usually much lower in weight, being as low as 500g, and require significant care and support to finish developing properly.
 
``Persistent high blood sugar levels occur in 60 percent of babies born less than one kilogram in weight. Abnormal blood sugar levels are a common complication of extremely pre-term babies.
 
``Controlling their blood sugar levels using insulin has shown benefits in terms of reduced mortality and complications. However, most studies using insulin have resulted in a huge increase in low blood sugar levels, which can be dangerous.’’
 
Dickson says their research, under the supervision of Professor Geoff Chase, is looking at more accurately modelling the contributions of the pancreas and liver to blood sugar control.
 
The team’s blood sugar control system for preterm babies may be used in an upcoming clinical trial to evaluate outcomes on insulin treated babies and non-insulin treated babies.
 
Dickson will later this year visit a neo-natal ICU in Hungary which is interested in using the UC blood sugar regulation system.

ENDS

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