Clinical Trial Details
— Status: Completed
Administrative data
NCT number |
NCT05067075 |
Other study ID # |
RP-21-017 |
Secondary ID |
|
Status |
Completed |
Phase |
N/A
|
First received |
|
Last updated |
|
Start date |
November 1, 2021 |
Est. completion date |
April 18, 2023 |
Study information
Verified date |
August 2023 |
Source |
Woman's |
Contact |
n/a |
Is FDA regulated |
No |
Health authority |
|
Study type |
Interventional
|
Clinical Trial Summary
Glucose control during labor is important for both fetus and mother. During labor and
delivery, the goal is to maintain the sugars in the normal range as safely as possible as
increased blood sugars 4-6 h prior to delivery leads to increased rates of hypoglycemia in
the neonate. Neonatal hypoglycemia is a risk for the offspring of pregnant women with
diabetes and occurs when fetal pancreatic hyperplasia is acutely stimulated by a high fetal
glucose level derived from maternal hyperglycemia during labor. The maternal blood glucose
level during delivery is a predictor of the neonatal blood glucose level. Modern continuous
glucose monitoring (CGM) systems can capture the direction and magnitude of short-lived
changes in interstitial glucose levels and are therefore useful for assessing glucose
variability more accurately than self-monitoring blood glucose (SMBG) measurements. Indeed,
it has already been demonstrated that intermittent blood glucose monitoring underestimates
the number of hyperglycemic events, because blood glucose excursions can peak at different
times of day. CGMs can help identify glycemic patterns in pregnancy, obtain and maintain
glucose targets, and reduce hypoglycemia. Strict glycemic control during labor and delivery
may reduce the risk of neonatal hypoglycemia. Two groups have reported on the use of CGM in
type 1 diabetics during labor in small pilot studies. Another study looked at effects of
maternal glucose levels in insulin-treated women during labor and delivery (2 to 8 h before
birth) and resultant neonatal hypoglycemia. The researchers found that maternal hyperglycemia
before delivery was correlated with neonatal hypoglycemia. Although more studies are needed,
CGM use has promise as a therapy to improve outcomes in pregnancies associated with diabetes.
In this study, the investigators plan to explore whether the use of blinded glucose
monitoring during labor, delivery, and early postpartum supplementary to normally monitored
plasma glucose measurements in women with gestational diabetes (GDM) would provide useful
information to improve glycemia during labor in this diabetic population. All CGM data will
be masked and therefore not available to participants, clinicians, or researchers at the time
of delivery. Participants otherwise will receive standard clinical care. The blinded glucose
monitoring data on glycemia throughout labor and post-delivery will be retrospectively
assessed.
Description:
Planning management for a diabetic parturient during labor and delivery is particularly
challenging because of the demands of labor, dietary restrictions, and potential for
operative delivery. The main goals can be summarized as: ensuring the avoidance of maternal
hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia (which can increase the risk of neonatal hypoglycemia),
ensuring the safe use of measures to manage glycemic control, and the provision of effective
analgesia for labor. Currently available international guidelines for the peripartum
management of pregnant women with diabetes focus on rigorous intrapartum glycemic control.
Maternal hyperglycemia in women with pregestational and gestational diabetes mellitus can
cause hypoglycemia in the neonate following delivery. In women with diabetes, maternal
hyperglycemia leads to hyperplasia of pancreatic β cells in the fetus and an increase in
fetal insulin concentrations. When the continuous supply of glucose is stopped after
delivery, the neonate is at risk of developing hypoglycemia, which if untreated can have
serious neurological consequences. The increase in fetal insulin also contributes to the
excess growth of the fetus in mothers with hyperglycemia. Avoiding intrapartum maternal
hyperglycemia may prevent fetal hyperglycemia and reduce the likelihood of subsequent
neonatal hypoglycemia. A further potential concern relates directly to the woman. Immediately
after delivery, postpartum insulin requirements decrease dramatically as a result of the
rapid decrease in diabetogenic placental hormone levels and resulting dissipation of
pregnancy-induced insulin resistance. Pregnant women with diabetes may be at greater risk of
hypoglycemic episodes because awareness of the symptoms of hypoglycemia is reduced, and this
is further exacerbated by tight glycemic control .
Glucose control during labor is important for both fetus and mother. During labor and
delivery, the goal is to maintain the sugars in the normal range as safely as possible as
increased blood sugars 4-6 h prior to delivery leads to increased rates of hypoglycemia in
the neonate. Neonatal hypoglycemia is a risk for the offspring of pregnant women with
diabetes and occurs when fetal pancreatic hyperplasia is acutely stimulated by a high fetal
glucose level derived from maternal hyperglycemia during labor. The maternal blood glucose
level during delivery is a predictor of the neonatal blood glucose level, and a high blood
glucose level in the mother is associated with neonatal hypoglycemia. Continuous glucose
monitoring (CGM) use appears to be safe and effective in pregnancies complicated by diabetes.
Modern CGM systems can capture the direction and magnitude of short-lived changes in
interstitial glucose levels and are therefore useful for assessing glucose variability more
accurately than self-monitoring blood glucose (SMBG) measurements. Indeed, it has already
been demonstrated that intermittent blood glucose monitoring underestimates the number of
hyperglycemic events because blood glucose excursions can peak at different times of day.
CGMs can help identify glycemic patterns in pregnancy, obtain and maintain glucose targets,
and reduce hypoglycemia. CGM helps with treatment adjustments in pregnancies associated with
diabetes. Strict glycemic control during labor and delivery may reduce the risk of neonatal
hypoglycemia. In principle, "real-time" CGM might allow more rapid adjustment of insulin
dosing and, thereby, yield better glycemic control than is possible with intermittent glucose
monitoring. Two groups have reported on the use of CGM during labor in small pilot studies.
Stenninger et al. reported that CGM was well tolerated in their 15 subjects and that elevated
maternal glucose levels in the last 2 hours before delivery correlated with the need for
intravenous glucose in the newborn. They found that multiple glycemic indices correlated
positively with the need for neonatal intravenous glucose infusions. Iafusco et al. used
real-time CGM in 14 subjects to guide insulin therapy during labor and found no cases of
neonatal hypoglycemia. Another study looked at effects of maternal glucose levels in
insulin-treated women during labor and delivery (2 to 8 hours before birth) and resultant
neonatal hypoglycemia. In the this study, 45% (27/60) of women in the CGM group were compared
with 100% (59/59) in the control group. Among women in the CGM arm, 10 infants developed
hypoglycemia compared with 27 in the non-CGM group (37% vs. 46%, respectively; P = 0.45). The
researchers found that maternal hyperglycemia before delivery was correlated with neonatal
hypoglycemia.
Although more studies are needed, CGM use has promise as a therapy to improve outcomes in
pregnancies associated with diabetes. In this study, the investigators plan to explore
whether the use of blinded glucose monitoring during labor, delivery, and early postpartum
supplementary to normally monitored plasma glucose measurements in women with gestational
diabetes (GDM) would provide useful information to improve glycemia during labor in this
diabetic population.