Preliminary ICU experience of a novel intravascular blood glucose sensor

A need for continuous blood glucose monitoring has always been expressed by critical care practitioners. The results from several iterations of a novel optical fluorescence-based intravascular blood glucose sensor were examined for correlation with an accepted laboratory assay. Ever since Van Den Berghe's group demonstrated reductions in hospital mortality and morbidity from the application of tight glycaemic control [1], many groups have attempted to replicate those results with limited success. Practitioners have speculated upon the reasons behind this observation, and have cited manpower implications and incidence of hypoglycaemic episodes as contributing factors [2]. Investigators have speculated that a continuous blood glucose sensor might contribute towards safe effective glycaemic control [3].