Impact of Hyperglycaemia on the length of Stay in Critically ill Non-Diabetic Patients Admitted in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Hyperglycemia in hospitalized patients is associated with prolonged hospital stay, increased morbidity and mortality. Various degrees of glycemic control have been studied and guidelines recommend a target glucose range of 140-180mg/dl in most hospitalized patients. This study was done to evaluate and compare mean hospital stay among critically ill patients with hyperglycemia as compared with normoglycemia. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in the Aga Khan University Hospital, Department of Internal Medicine from 10-May2019 to 09-Nov-2019. Critically ill patients admitted in hospital having age 18-75 years were enrolled using non-probability consecutive sampling. Patient with diabetes mellitus and those on medications causing hyperglycemia were excluded. Length of hospital stay was higher in critically ill patients with hyperglycemia. Hyperglycemia can be used as a predictor of increased hospital stay in critically ill non-diabetic patients.