Definition and monitoring of neonatal hypoglycaemia: a nationwide survey of NHS England Neonatal Units

Neonatal hypoglycaemia is common; however, there is an ongoing controversy regarding its operational definition, with recent guidance from the Paediatric Endocrine Society (PES) recommending using significantly higher blood glucose thresholds and longer periods of monitoring than existing guidance.1 A 2014 survey of Australasian neonatal units identified that the most common clinical threshold for the treatment of hypoglycaemia was 2.6 mmol/L, and some units used potentially unreliable nearside blood glucose monitoring devices.2 The most recent published survey of British neonatologists showed wide variation in definitions of neonatal hypoglycaemia from <1 to <4 mmol/L.3 We surveyed neonatal units in England to assess current working practice on the definition and monitoring of neonatal hypoglycaemia. All 161 National Health Service neonatal units in England were surveyed between April and August 2015 via telephone or online questionnaire. Respondents were asked (1) if a hypoglycaemia guideline was used; (2) definition of...
Source: Archives of Disease in Childhood - Fetal and Neonatal Edition - Category: Perinatology & Neonatology Authors: Tags: PostScript Source Type: research