Admission hyperglycemia in sepsis is associated with poor outcomes: where do we go from here?

The assessment and management of glucose levels in critical illness is one of the core tenants of supportive care. Both severe hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia are associated with increased morbidity and mortality in several critically ill patient populations as a whole (1,2). Findings from van Vught and colleagues evaluating the relationship between initial blood glucose (BG) value and mortality, as well as changes in the host response, add to the evidence suggesting hyperglycemia is associated with poor outcomes in the subset of critically ill patients with sepsis (3).