5.2.4.0 Transitioning Intravenous to Subcutaneous Insulin
When discontinuing intravenous insulin, a transition protocol is associated with less morbidity and lower costs of care (42) and is therefore recommended. A patient with type 1 or type 2 diabetes being transitioned to outpatient subcutaneous insulin should receive subcutaneous basal insulin 2–4 h before the intravenous insulin is discontinued. Converting to basal insulin at 60–80% of the daily infusion dose has been shown to be effective (2,42,43). For patients continuing regimens with concentrated insulin (U-200, U-300, or U-500) in the inpatient setting, it is important to ensure the correct dosing by utilizing an individual pen and cartridge for each patient, meticulous pharmacist supervision of the dose administered, or other means (44,45).