Aggressive glucose control for acute ischemic stroke patients by insulin infusion

Hyperglycemia after acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is associated with poor outcomes. However, there is no consensus as to the optimal method for glycemic control. We designed an insulin infusion protocol for aggressive glucose control and investigated its efficacy and safety. We applied our protocol to patients within 48 hours after AIS or transient ischemic attack (TIA) with an initial capillary glucose level of between 100 and 399 mg/dL (5.6-22.2 mmol/L). An insulin solution comprising 40 or 50 U of human regular insulin in 500 mL of 5% dextrose was administered for 24 hours. Capillary glucose was measured every 2 hours and the infusion rate was adjusted according to a nomogram with a target range of 80-129 mg/dL (4.4-7.2 mmol/L). Changes in glucose and overall glucose levels during insulin infusion were analyzed according to the presence of diabetes or admission hyperglycemia (admission glucose >139 mg/dL or 7.7 mmol/L) by the generalized estimating equation method. The study cohort comprised 115 consecutive patients. Glucose was significantly lowered from 160+/-57 mg/dL (8.9+/-3.2 mmol/L) at admission to 93+/-28 mg/dL (5.2+/-1.6 mmol/L) during insulin infusion (p