Increasing Insulin Resistance as a Predictor of Impending Bacteremia

Insulin resistance is defined as a decrease in the ability of insulin to lower blood glucose levels. Various pathological conditions can cause an increase in insulin resistance, such as sepsis, administration of certain medications, various stressful situations, surgery or significant injuries, etc. Sepsis can cause extreme stress, which causes significant changes in metabolism, disruption of blood glucose regulation and increased insulin resistance. In sepsis there is an extreme activation of inflammatory mediators and of counter-regulatory hormones, such as cortisol, glucagon and catecholamines, which increase hepatic gluconeogenesis on the one hand, and increase the peripheral resistance to insulin on the other hand.

Disorder in the regulation of blood glucose level causes increased mortality and morbidity among intensive care unit patients with sepsis, as well as an increase in the duration of hospitalization and its financial expenses.

There are a number of parameters used in the intensive care unit to diagnose the development of sepsis within the unit, such as an increase or decrease in body temperature, an increase in CRP level, white blood cell count, pro-calcitonin level, etc It is possible that an increase in insulin resistance can also be used as a predictor of sepsis. It should be noted that almost all patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit are treated with a continuous infusion of insulin to balance their blood glucose level, including patients who are not diagnosed with diabetes prior to their hospitalization in the unit. This is in light of the increase in insulin resistance for the reasons listed above among patients in critical condition, and also due to the need to maintain blood glucose values in the range of 140-180 mg/dl, since high blood glucose values among patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit are associated with increased morbidity and mortality.

We would therefore like to investigate whether an increase in insulin resistance, as expressed in an increase in the patient's insulin intake, can predict the development of sepsis secondary to bacteremia in the intensive care unit.