Insulin therapy protects the central and peripheral nervous system of intensive care patients

To investigate the effectiveness of maintaining blood glucose levels below 6.1 mmol/L with insulin as prevention of secondary injury to the central and peripheral nervous systems of intensive care patients.

The authors studied the effect of intensive insulin therapy on critical illness polyneuropathy (CIPNP), assessed by weekly EMG screening, and its impact on mechanical ventilation dependency, as a prospectively planned subanalysis of a large randomized, controlled trial of 1,548 intensive care patients. In the 63 patients admitted with isolated brain injury, the authors studied the impact of insulin therapy on intracranial pressure, diabetes insipidus, seizures, and long-term rehabilitation at 6 and 12 months follow-up.