Insulin differentially influences brain glucose and lactate in traumatic brain injured patients

Abstract

Insulin exerts differential effects that depend strongly on the underlying arterial blood glucose concentrations. To avoid energetic impairment, insulin should not be administered at arterial blood glucose levels <5 mM. However, at arterial blood glucose levels >7-8 mM, insulin administration appears to be encouraged to increase extracellular glucose concentrations and decrease energetic impairment reflected by reduced interstitial brain lactate and decreased lactate-to-glucose ratios. Nevertheless, frequent analysis is required to minimize the risk of inducing impaired brain metabolism.