Abstract
Diabetic patients with ketoacidosis (1 case) and ketosis (3 cases) were treated with an artificial pancreatic beta cell system, comprising a closed-loop control system.
The results of such treatment were very satisfactory. The initial insulin infusion rates ranged from 24.2 to 140.6 mU/min, as calculated according to the glucose concentration and the rate of change in blood glucose concentration in each patient. By 5 to 8 hr after treatment, the blood glucose had decreased to levels of 100 to 170 mg/100 ml with a mean rate of decrease in blood glucose oncentration of 96±8 mg/100 ml·hr. The amounts of insulin infusion were26 to 40 U/8 hr. In 3 out of the 4 patients, plasma 3-hydroxybutyrate levels decreased rapidly andreturned to normal levels within 8 hr. In one patient, the 3-hydroxybutyrate levels decreased gradually to normal levels by 4 days after lente-insulin treatment (20 to 28 U/day) following artificial pancreatic beta cell application, even though the blood glucose concentrations were controlled at near170 to 200 ml/100 ml.
The present artificial pancreatic beta cell system is considered useful for clinical application, such as in the treatment of diabetic ketoacidosis or ketosis. By changing the parameters of the insulin infusion algorithm, it should be possible to regulate the diabetic conditions more effectively, and to provide optimal as well as adaptive control of blood glucose.
