Continuous Glucose Monitoring in the Intensive Care Unit During the COVID-19 Pandemic

OBJECTIVE Real-time continuous glucose monitoring (rtCGM) in critically ill hospitalized patients holds promise; however, real-world data are needed. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We placed Dexcom G6 CGM on intensive care unit (ICU) patients at Montefiore Medical Center with confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection and glycemic variability. We analyzed inpatient CGM accuracy using point-of-care (POC) glucose-CGM matched pairs and included patients for analysis regardless of clinical status. RESULTS We included 11 patients with CGM: 8 on continuous insulin infusion (CII), 8 on vasopressors, 8 intubated, 4 on high-dose glucocorticoids, 6 on renal replacement therapy, and 2 with anasarca. Accuracy was 12.58% for mean and 6.3% for median absolute relative difference. CGM reduced POC testing by similar to 60% for patients on CII. CONCLUSIONS In this real-world preliminary analysis of rtCGM during critical illness, we demonstrate early feasibility, considerable accuracy, and meaningful reduction in the frequency of POC glucose testing.

Automated summary

This study conducted real-time continuous glucose monitoring in a group of COVID-19 patients, finding high accuracy and significant reduction in the frequency of point-of-care glucose testing during critical illness.