Insulin gtt rates

[*LadyNurse*]

What is the highest rate for an insulin gtt that you have come across?

[MLB55]

It was between 60-70ml/hr or unit/hour. Guy it pancreatitis.

[Mully]

Was that 60-70 Units/hour? That's some sugar minimizing madness!

...Whoops, I re-read that it was units/hour. Crazy.

[*LadyNurse*]

Wow...

The highest that I've seen was 49 units/hour.

[commonsense]

What is the highest rate for an insulin gtt that you have come across?

I once had to bolus in 37 units, then run the infusion at 30 units/hr.

[armyicurn]

100 u/hr.

[prep8611]

20 units/hr.... U guys must have had some insane potassium shifts....

[armyicurn]

Everything at my current ICU is insane!

[Sun0408, ASN, RN]

75 units and hour. I think that was the most before he died. No matter the amount he was on, his blood sugars kept going up.. I think his last BS was in the 600 range.

[hodgieRN]

This is no lie...We had one pt in the unit who was super sick. I don't know exactly what was happening but he was an MVA, open belly (left open), DI, cerebral edema, IV paralytics, and a million other things. The gtt was mixed in 1000ml NS with 1000 unit of insulin and the bedside RN was infusing it at like 500-750/hr. The pt BG was still in the 500's. The pharmacist was tubing bag after bag. Some type of insulin resistance with crazy blood sugars and just really sick. No lie..it was like 500-750 units/hr per the Glucostabilzer. And no, the RN wasn't pulling the sample from line with D5 or TPN. He just went up and up and up. Crazy. It went on for about 36 hr and then things kind of calmed down. Other than that, highest gtt I've seen is in the 20-30's.

[libanurse]

this doesn't sound logical because such patient would die from electrolites' disturbance and other complications specially when calculating fluids intake 750ml/hr for 36 hours, that doesnt work with cerebral edema!

[PacesFerryBSN]

I could never... my facility doesn't even have protocols...