October 18, 2018

Of Adam, Appendixes, CGM, then AID in Hospitals

My friend Adam Brown just went through the maze of navigating blood glucose and a hospital stay. You can read about it in his post titled: My Appendix Ruptured: Scary Lessons Learned About Diabetes in the Hospital

Years ago my son had his appendix out. Like Adam, we were not willing to let the hospital manage his diabetes. Institutionally, they didn't like that idea. After all, had white coats. We prevailed. In the end, they were impressed. I came away convinced that PWD and their caregivers are WAY BETTER at insulin management than hospitals.

So did Adam.

I am in no way suggesting that hospitals, nurses, anesthesiologists, or surgeons don't know their stuff. They certainly know their stuff. I'm just saying that nothing like your diabetes is their stuff.

I wrote about our appendicitis adventure a post called, Poke a Finger on the Invisible Hand. I learned some lessons. While back then I prattled on about meter accuracy. I was fighting the current battle not the next.

Adam came away with a deep conviction that CGM is desperately needed for inpatient care. I agree with Adam. That is a battle to be won.

I think we need to go one step further. Adam spoke of needing to turn loop off for surgery.

Our experience was clinicians at the hospital were loquacious about insulin and had no real plan to administer it other than assuring us they had a sliding scale. That they couldn't answer what rates were in that scale gave us no comfort.

CGM is critical to better care. Full stop.

That includes those hopefully few times PWD are inpatient and under the knife.

I have seen academic presentations on the importance of managing post-op BG for non-PWDs. In fact, I spent a day in lofty, scholarly presentations on the matter. (I have had such adventures - you wouldn't believe.) Seems surgery is a shock to the system and high BG are a risk for complications, particularly infection. Not the kinda highs PWDs routinely see, by the way.

Bugs like sugar. Who'da guessed?

CGM isn't enough. The staff does not have the time or experience to manage diabetes' insulin needs even with CGM data. 

I think Automated Insulin Delivery is desperately needed in hospitals. OK, You are right to say, "Hey! Wait there isn't really automated insulin delivery other than DIY solutions in the wild."

Yeap.

But as systems come online, somebody needs to look at them for use in hospitals for T1s. Then T2 and finally for everyone who has had surgery and is a glucose risk.

Adam pointed out the horrifically inflated cost of finger sticks in his stay. He reports his appendix burst creating the need for infection care. But imagine the savings in those cases where infection could be minimized with automated BG control. Automating insulin could be a cost-effective driver of better post-operative care for some, maybe many.

In the meantime, better is better. If Adam Brown, possibly the most empowered patient in T1 history (or at least second to Kelly) cannot keep his automated insulin delivery system on in the hospital the rest of us are destined for trouble.

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