Table 1 Randomized controlled trials on strict glycemic control (target blood glucose levels of 80 to 110 mg/dl)
| Â | Â | Â | Â | Main results of the trial | Â | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Reference | Year | What was compared? | Study population | Mortality | Severe hypoglycemia | Do results support the use of SGC? |
van den Berghe et al. [1] | 2001 | SGC versus standard therapy (target blood glucose level of 180 to 200 mg/dl if exceeded 215 mg/dl) | 1,548 surgical critically ill patients | SGC decreased mortality (4.6 versus 8.0%) | SGC raised the incidence of severe hypoglycemia (5.1 versus 0.8%) | Yes |
van den Berghe et al. [2] | 2006 | SGC versus standard therapy (target blood glucose level of 180 to 200 mg/dl if exceeded 215 mg/dl) | 1,200 medical critically ill patients | SGC decreased mortality of patients who stayed in ICU ≥3 days (43.0 versus 52.2%) | SGC raised the incidence of severe hypoglycemia (18.7 versus 3.1%) | Yes |
Arabi et al. [3] | 2008 | SGC versus standard therapy (target blood glucose level of 180 to 200 mg/dl) | 523 mixed medical-surgical critically ill patients | SGC did not affect ICU mortality (13.5% versus 17.1%) | SGC raised the incidence of severe hypoglycemia (28.6 versus 3.1%) | No |
De la Rosa et al. [4] | 2008 | SGC versus standard therapy (target blood glucose level of 180 to 200 mg/dl) | 504 mixed medical-surgical critically ill patients | SGC did not affect 28-day mortality (36.6% versus 32.4%) | SGC raised the incidence of severe hypoglycemia (8.5 versus 1.7%) | No |
Brunkhorst et al. [5] | 2008 | SGC versus standard therapy (target blood glucose level of 180 mg/dl if exceeded 200 mg/dl) | 488 mixed medical-surgical critically ill patients | SGC did not affect 28-day mortality (24.7 versus 26.0%); SGC did not affect 90-day mortality (39.7 versus 35.4%) | SGC raised the incidence of severe hypoglycemia (17.0 versus 4.1%) | No |
Finfer et al. [6] | 2009 | SGC (target blood glucose level of 81 to 108 mg/dl) versus standard therapy (target blood glucose level of <180 mg/dl) | 6,104 mixed medical-surgical critically ill patients | SGC did not affect 28-day mortality (22.3 versus 20.8%); SGC increased 90-day mortality (27.5 versus 24.9%) | SGC raised the incidence of severe hypoglycemia (6.8 versus 0.5%) | No |
Preiser et al. [7] | 2009 | SGC (target blood glucose level of 80 to 110 mg/dl) versus standard therapy (140 to 180 mg/dl) | 1,101 mixed medical-surgical critically ill patients | SGC did not affect 28-day survival (17.2 versus 15.3%) | SGC raised the incidence of severe hypoglycemia (8.7 versus 2.7%) | No |