72 - Outcomes of Infants In the Mother Baby Unit After the Implementation of Oral Glucose Gel for Neonatal Hypoglycemia

Monday, May 1, 2023

9:30 AM – 11:30 AM ET

Poster Number: 72
Publication Number: 72.429

Jasmine Y. Massoumi, LAC+USC Medical Center, Pasadena, CA, United States; Sheryar Siddiqui, University of Southern California/LAC+USC Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, United States; Rowena Cayabyab, University of Southern California/LAC+USC Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, United States; Veronica Becerra, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States; Rangasamy Ramanathan, Keck School of Medicine of USC, Los Angeles, CA, United States; Fiona Wertheimer, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States

Presenting Author(s)

Jasmine Y. Massoumi, DO (she/her/hers)

Resident Physician
LAC+USC Medical Center
Pasadena, California, United States

Background:

The use of 40% oral glucose gel has been reported to be an effective, non-invasive treatment for transient neonatal hypoglycemia in late preterm and term infants within the first 48 hours of life and has been shown to prevent admission to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and separation of mother and baby.

Objective:

The purpose of this study is to determine if implementation of oral glucose gel for neonates with hypoglycemia in the Mother Baby Unit (MBU) prevented NICU admission.

Design/Methods:

This is a retrospective cohort study after the pre- (2017-2018) and post- (2018-2019) implementation of oral glucose gel incorporated into the hypoglycemia protocol at LAC+USC Medical Center MBU. Hypoglycemia was defined as blood glucose level below 45 mg/dL. Oral glucose gel dose was based on birth weight. Demographics and outcomes were collected from the electronic medical record, paper records and the Neonatal Information System newborn database.

Results:

There were 410 infants included in the study, 107/200 (54%) and 113/210 (54%) developed hypoglycemia in the pre- and post-implementation groups, respectively. Demographics and rate of NICU admission for hypoglycemia were not different between groups. However, infants in the post implementation group were admitted to the NICU at a significantly later time and required significantly fewer intravenous 10% dextrose bolus treatments. Infants in the post implementation group had a significantly longer hospital stay. Rate of breastfeeding was significantly higher in the pre-implementation group. (Table)

Conclusion(s):

Our preliminary data showed that use of oral glucose gel for neonatal hypoglycemia in the MBU did not prevent but delayed the time of admission to the NICU. The delay in NICU admission promoted longer mother-baby bonding, breastfeeding and delayed separation between the dyad. Infants admitted to the NICU required less intervention to normalize blood glucose. Data collection is ongoing and these results need to be verified in a larger sample size.