OBJECTIVE. Therapeutic hypothermia (TH) is recommended to improve survival and neurologic prognosis in sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) survivors. There are few data about glycemic levels in these patients. The aim of this study is to evaluate the glycemic control using a specific protocol in this group of people. METHOD. A retrospective analysis of the patients receiving TH in our institution, between January 2010 and March 2013, was performed. Baseline characteristics, in-hospital prognosis and glycemic levels during different stages of the TH were analyzed. RESULTS. From a total of 55 patients suffering a SCA, 49 patients underwent TH and received a specific insulin protocol. The mean age was 57.5 +/- 12.8 years, the main cause of SCA was ischemic (76 %) and ventricular fibrillation was the most frequent first rhythm detected (55 %). Regarding glycemic alterations as each stage of TH, a high rate of glycemic alteration was observed in the induction stage, decreasing after starting the insulin protocol (induction stage: 95.9 %; maintenance stage: 89.8 %; rewarming stage: 69.4 %; p = 0.001). With respect to clinic results, there were low rates of severe hypoglycemia (12 %), in-hospital mortality (20 %) and anoxic encephalopathy (27 %), with a high rate of infections (75 %). CONCLUSIONS. The implementation of a specific insulin protocol in patients receiving TH contributes to improve the blood glucose levels. Further studies are needed to evaluate the clinical impact of these protocols in this group of patients.
