Nutritional management and Glucose control in extreme preterms: VariHy
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Variation in prevalence and management of hyperglycaemia in a national cohort of extreme preterm neonates (VariHy) in UK
IRAS ID
354467
Contact name
Kathryn Beardsall
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Cambridge University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and University of Cambridge
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 6 months, 31 days
Research summary
High blood sugars (hyperglycaemia) are common in newborn babies requiring intensive care, particularly in extremely preterm babies (born <28 weeks gestational age) and is associated with increased risk of death and complications. The reported prevalence of hyperglycaemia varies widely between studies due to variations in definitions and clinical care. There is limited evidence for the threshold for treatment or how best to treat. We wish to better understand how common hyperglycaemia is in different units across UK in the most at risk babies and how it is currently being managed.
We will undertake a national study across UK that will collect the clinical data from a cohort of babies born extreme preterm and will identify key clinical teams in a range of Neonatal units that care for these babies. We aim to recruit 10 babies from at least 1 NICU in each of the 11 paediatric deaneries in England and 1 from Scotland/ Wales providing data on a minimum 130 babies. Data will be collected for babies born between April 2024 - March 2025 covering first 7 days of life on a standardised data collection tool, from patient medical records. Only anonymised data will be shared for central analyses and no patient identifiable data will be shared outside the local clinical team, hence parental consent is not sought.
Outcomes will include: frequency of blood glucose sampling, incidence of hyperglycaemia and hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar level), rate of infusion of glucose, amino acids (proteins) and lipids (fats) and use of insulin. This will provide key data to inform design and development of future study protocols to better understand the optimal glucose management for these babies.
REC name
North of Scotland Research Ethics Committee 1
REC reference
25/NS/0066
Date of REC Opinion
12 Jun 2025
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion