Critical care nursing quarterly
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The critically ill patient's response to stress is to increase production of glucose; his can lead to hyperglycemia as insulin releasing factors become overloaded. Although parenteral insulin can aid in preventing complications of hyperglycemia by maintaining a euglycemic state, care must be taken to prevent hypoglycemia. ⋯ As blood glucose levels fluctuate, the critical care nurse may titrate an insulin drip without specific orders for how much to increase or decrease the amount of insulin infusing. By developing a protocol, including a formula to calculate the amount of insulin to infuse, based on blood glucose levels, the critical care nurse can safely, competently, and accurately maintain blood glucose levels under 250 mg/dL.