Perioperative medicine & outcomes
The Use of Prophylactic Insulin in Surgical Patients Without Diabetes: A Pilot Randomized, Controlled Trial
Authors' conclusion
Prophylactic insulin improves glycemic outcomes and may improve clinical outcomes, possibly in part through anti-inflammatory mechanisms.
Study context
- Population
- Nondiabetic patients undergoing major abdominopelvic surgeryof 248 eligible
- Participants
- 103 patients
- Comparison
- Prophylactic glucose-insulin-potassium vs placebo
- GIKn = 50
- Placebon = 53reference
- Primary endpoint
- Feasibility (willingness to randomise, treatment completion)
Methodological detailspilot, placebo-controlled
- Pilot
- Placebo-controlled
Primary result
As reported in the abstract
Feasibility
Eligible patients randomised
103 of 248
Treatment completed
97%
Further findings
Perioperative euglycaemia (<125 mg/dL)
P < 0.01
Hyperglycaemia (BG >140 mg/dL)
P < 0.05
| Outcome | GIK | Placebo | Estimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Use of treatment insulin | 26% | 45% | Absolute Risk Reduction (aRR) 0.6 (95% CI 0.4–0.9) | |
| ComplicationsWide CIs | 12% | 21% | aRR 0.5 (95% CI 0.2–1.5) | |
| 0.20.5125Ratio (log scale) |
| Outcome | Delta (95% CI) | |
|---|---|---|
| Rise in neutrophil:lymphocyte ratio, preoperative to POD 1 · postoperative day 1Lower in GIK | 0.5 (−6.23 to 3.32) | |
| −10−505Difference (linear scale) |
Safety
- No episodes of severe hypoglycaemia
Original publication
The Use of Prophylactic Insulin in Surgical Patients Without Diabetes: A Pilot Randomized, Controlled Trial. Ann Surg. Published 18 June 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →