Failure to achieve glycemic control despite intensive insulin therapy in a medical ICU: incidence and influence on ICU mortality

Objective Intensive insulin therapy reduces mortality in subgroups of intensive care unit (ICU) patients, and awareness of the importance of blood glucose level (BGL) control has increased among ICU physicians and nurses. The impact of insulin treatment strategies on mortality may be influenced by their efficacy in achieving the target BGL range. We assessed the efficacy of an insulin treatment strategy in maintaining BGL within the target range, and we compared ICU mortality in patients who did and did not reach the BGL target.