Measure ID
GLU-04
Domain
Description

Percentage of patients with perioperative glucose <60mg/dL with administration of glucose or dextrose containing solution or glucose recheck within 90 minutes of original glucose measurement.

Measure Type
Process
Available for Provider Feedback
No - Departmental Only
Threshold
90%
Rationale

The American Diabetes Association uses an outpatient hypoglycemia definition of <70 mg/dL6,7. Severe hypoglycemia in inpatients is considered <40mg/dL6. Acute hypoglycemia in the perioperative period can lead to inadequate supply of glucose to the brain, resulting in seizures, permanent brain damage, and death.  In hospitalized diabetic patients, hypoglycemia has been associated with increased length of stay and mortality.5 The risk of negative sequelae related to hypoglycemia is reduced with early recognition and treatment of mild to moderate hypoglycemia (40-69mg/dL)6,8,9. The common signs/symptoms of hypoglycemia are masked by general anesthesia, making vigilance and quick treatment especially important.1 Fasting patients with or without diabetes and diabetic patients treated with oral glycemic agents or insulin are at increased risk of perioperative hypoglycemia.2-3

Perioperative hypoglycemia is a rare event typically caused by the following: 4

  1. Insulin overdose, either by patient taking higher than normal doses on the morning of surgery or by providers giving more insulin than necessary
  2. Septic or circulatory shock
  3. Failure to monitor
Measure Time Period
Inclusions
  • All patients with glucose level less than 70 mg/dL
  • Patients with and without diagnosis of diabetes
Exclusions
  • ASA 5 & 6 including Organ Procurement (CPT: 01990)
  • Glucose measurements <60 mg/dL within 90 minutes before measure end 
  • Labor Epidurals (determined by Obstetric Anesthesia Type value codes: 3 & 6 including obstetric non-operative procedures - CPT: 01958)
Success Criteria
  • Administration of glucose or dextrose containing solution within 90 minutes (IV) OR
  • Recheck of glucose level within 90 minutes
Other Measure Details

*This measure will include valid MPOG cases defined by the Is Valid Case MPOG phenotype.

Risk Adjustment

Not applicable

Provider Attribution

Preop start to Anesthesia Start: The first anesthesia provider(s) signed into the case

Anesthesia Start to Anesthesia End: The provider(s) signed in at the first glucose recheck or first administration of insulin. If neither occurred, then the responsible provider is the one signed in 90 minutes after the high glucose measurement.

Anesthesia End to PACU End: The last anesthesia provider(s) signed into the case.

MPOG Concept Used

Dextrose

  • 10152    Dextrose
  • 10153    Dextrose 50%
  • 10460    Dextrose / Water 5%
  • 10461    Dextrose / Lactated Ringers 5%
  • 10462    Dextrose / Water 10%
  • 10465    Dextrose / Saline 5% / 0.225%
  • 10466    Dextrose / Saline 5% / 0.45%
  • 10467    Dextrose / Saline 5% / 0.9%
  • 10468    Dextrose / Saline w/KCl 5%/ 0.45% + 20 MEQ/L
  • 10469    Dextrose / Saline w/KCl 5%/ 0.9% + 20 MEQ/L
  • 10470    Dextrose / Saline 10% / 0.45%
  • 10539    Dextrose 10% w/ Lactated Ringers
  • 10548    Plasmalyte 148 w/ Dextrose 5%
  • 10558    Dextrose / Saline w/KCl 5%/ 0.225% + 20 MEQ/L
  • 10559    Dextrose / Saline w/KCl 5%/ 0.45% + 40 MEQ/L
  • 10588    Dextrose / Saline w/KCl 10%/ 0.225% + 20 MEQ/L
  • 10594    Dextrose / Saline w/KCl 5%/ 0.45% + 10MEQ/L
  • 10602    Dextrose / Saline 10% / 0.225%
  • 10471    Total Parenteral Nutrition
  • 10530    Peripheral Parenteral Nutrition
  • 10796    Glucose Chew Tablet
  • 10797    Glucose Gel 40%

Glucose

  • 3361       POC- Glucose (Fingerstick)
  • 3362       POC- Glucose (Unspecified Source)
  • 3405       POC- Blood Gas- Glucose
  • 5003       Formal Lab-Glucose, Serum/Plasma
  • 5036       Formal Lab-Blood Gas, Glucose
MPOG Phenotypes Used
References
  1. Akhtar, Shamsuddin, Paul G. Barash, and Silvio E. Inzucchi. 2010. “Scientific Principles and Clinical Implications of Perioperative Glucose Regulation and Control.” Anesthesia and Analgesia 110 (2): 478–97.
  2. Falconer, R., C. Skouras, T. Carter, L. Greenway, and A. M. Paisley. 2014. “Preoperative Fasting: Current Practice and Areas for Improvement.” Updates in Surgery 66 (1): 31–39.
  3. Leung, Vivien, and Kristal Ragbir-Toolsie. 2017. “Perioperative Management of Patients with Diabetes.” Health Services Insights 10 (November): 1178632917735075.
  4. Schwenk, Eric S., Boris Mraovic, Ryan P. Maxwell, Gina S. Kim, Jesse M. Ehrenfeld, and Richard H. Epstein. 2012. “Root Causes of Intraoperative Hypoglycemia: A Case Series.” Journal of Clinical Anesthesia 24 (8): 625–30.
  5. Turchin, Alexander, Michael E. Matheny, Maria Shubina, James V. Scanlon, Bonnie Greenwood, and Merri L. Pendergrass. 2009. “Hypoglycemia and Clinical Outcomes in Patients with Diabetes Hospitalized in the General Ward.” Diabetes Care 32 (7): 1153–57.
  6. Moghissi, Etie S., Mary T. Korytkowski, Monica DiNardo, Daniel Einhorn, Richard Hellman, Irl B. Hirsch, Silvio E. Inzucchi, et al. 2009. “American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and American Diabetes Association Consensus Statement on Inpatient Glycemic Control.” Diabetes Care 32 (6): 1119–31.
  7. Cryer, Philip E., Stephen N. Davis, and Harry Shamoon. 2003. “Hypoglycemia in Diabetes.” Diabetes Care 26 (6): 1902–12.
  8. DiNardo, Monica, Michelle Noschese, Mary Korytkowski, and Stephanie Freeman. 2006. “The Medical Emergency Team and Rapid Response System: Finding, Treating, and Preventing Hypoglycemia.” Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety / Joint Commission Resources 32 (10): 591–95.
  9. DiNardo, M., A. C. Donihi, M. DeVita, L. Siminerio, H. Rao, and M. T. Korytkowski. 2005. “A Nurse Directed Protocol for Recognition and Treatment of Hypoglycemia in Hospitalized Patients.” Pract Diabetol 22: 37–40.
Measure Authors
 Measure Author  Institution
 Nirav Shah, MD  University of Michigan
 Brooke Szymanski-Bogart, MSN  University of Michigan
 Genevieve Bell  University of Michigan
 MPOG Quality Committee  

 

Measure Reviewer(s)
Next Review: 2026
Date Reviewed  Reviewer  Institution  Summary  QC Vote
 5/22/2023  Tim Harwood, MD  Wake Forest  Review  Modify

 

Version
Published: 2020
 Date  Criteria  Revision
3/24/2021 Exclusion Modified to use the Obstetric Type phenotype
3/1/2020   Initial Publication