Abstract
Background: Oral glucose gel has been utilized in adults to treat hypoglycemia for numerous years, however it has only been recently used in the neonatal population. While the exact level at which hypoglycemia is detrimental to the newborn has not been well-defined in the literature, prolonged hypoglycemia can cause neurological damage. Past treatment for hypoglycemia included supplemental feedings with formula and if this was not successful, babies would often be separated from their mothers and admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for intravenous dextrose. With the use of the oral glucose gel as an additional line of treatment, there is the potential for decreased admissions to the NICU. Additionally, prior to the implementation of the oral glucose gel, the treatment for hypoglycemia was provider dependent, without clear defined values of hypoglycemia and treatment.|Purpose: The use of oral glucose gel was implemented in the newborn nursery at CHI CUMC Bergan Mercy Hospital to treat hypoglycemia. The purpose of this project is to evaluate the implementation of the oral glucose gel by evaluating the number of admissions to the NICU due to hypoglycemia before and after implementation of the oral glucose gel.|Literature Review: The “Sugar Babies Study” performed by Harris, Weston, Signal, Chase and Harding found that treatment with oral glucose gel combined with feeding was more successful than feeding alone to treat hypoglycemia. Admission to the NICU was decreased and the neonates received less formula at two weeks of age when compared to their counterparts.|Population & Setting: Newborns delivered at a Level III neonatal or couplet care unit within a Midwest hospital.|Results: There was an increase in the number of admissions to the NICU after implementation of the oral glucose gel. However, with the implementation of the oral glucose gel, there were defined parameters of when to treat which may have increased diagnosis of hypoglycemia.|Conclusion: The oral glucose gel provides an inexpensive method to provide another treatment for hypoglycemia in supplementation with feedings before starting intravenous dextrose.