Glytec, together with collaborators, presented five abstracts at the American Diabetes Association (ADA)’s 76th Scientific Sessions June 10-14 in New Orleans that focused on diabetes care, particularly in the way Glucommander software helps in different settings.
Glucommander is a sophisticated, FDA-cleared, software solution that evaluates current and cumulative patient blood glucose levels and, based on patient characteristics, recommends a dosage of insulin. It also regulates its infusion to adjust the blood glucose levels toward a clinical predetermined target range.
Once the target blood glucose level is reached, Glucommander functions by recommending a titration of insulin that maintains the patient’s blood glucose levels within that range.
“The studies outlined below add to the evidence reflected in our [more than] 50 studies of the significant impact our advanced decision support capabilities have on the quality and cost of diabetes care, both in and out of the hospital,” said Glytec Chief Medical Officer Andrew S. Rhinehart, MD, in a press release.
“We continue to work closely with the diabetes community in creating solutions that generate meaningful and scalable results,” he said, thanking the clinicians and colleagues who led the research efforts in many health systems and the ADA for providing the opportunity to present the abstracts.
One of the four abstracts on Glucommander, titled “Glucommander Outpatient, A Cloud-based Insulin Management Solution Adjusted Insulin Doses and Achieved 2.7% Drop In A1c Percentage Points,” addressed the effectiveness of Glucommander Outpatient, a commercially available software solution that calculates adjustments to the patient’s normal insulin dose regimen.
The study examined 41 patients who had been previously treated with standard of care methods and who used Glucommander for three months, revealing that it reduced A1c (a measure of the average blood glucose) by 2.7 percent in patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes and in patients at risk.
The abstract “A Comparison of Glycemic Outcomes for Two Computerized Insulin Infusion Algorithms in CV Surgery Patients,” presented by Dr. Valerie Garrett, medical director for the Diabetes Center at Mission Hospital, reported a retrospective evaluation that compared two distinct computerized insulin infusion algorithms, Glucommander and EndoTool IV (ET). The results showed that Glucommander is safer and more effective than ET at controlling hyperglycemia in cardiovascular surgery patients.
A third study, “Sepsis-Related Dysglycemia: Can a Computerized IV Insulin Algorithm Improve Glycemic Control, Reduce Hypo and Reduce 30-Day Readmissions?” presented by Robby Booth, senior vice president of research and development at Glytec, showed that Glucommander is more effective at maintaining the blood glucose levels at a certain established range and in reducing severe hypoglycemia, compared to other traditional intravenous protocols.
The fourth study related to Glucommander, titled “Selecting the Initial Multiplier and Target Glucose of a Computer-guided Algorithm (Glucommander) during Treatment of Diabetic Ketoacidosis,” showed that using a multiplier 0.01 in the Glucommander algorithm resulted in faster correction of the blood glucose levels and in lower rates of hypoglycemia in patients with diabetic ketoacidosis.
Dr. Jagdeesh Ullal, professor of medicine in the Division of Endocrinology at Eastern Virginia Medical School, presented a fifth abstract: “The Frequency of Hypoglycemia in Hospitalized Patients Treated with Insulin Increases Overall Costs Associated with Hospitalization and Length of Stay,” showing that patients with diabetes, under insulin treatment and who experience severe hypoglycemia events during hospitalization, have an increased length of hospital stay (12.3 vs. 4.3 days) and higher overall costs ($104,713 vs. $29,700), compared to patients who did not experience a severe hypoglycemia event.
