A new glucose clamp algorithm: clinical validation.

A new glucose clamp technique for in vivo studies of insulin sensitivity was validated clinically. Eighteen patients (10 males, 8 females, age 35-80 years, body mass index 34.6-17.04) were connected to a computer-assisted artificial pancreas "Betalike R", using a new algorithm based on a "minimal model", to carry out the glucose clamp technique automatically and especially to overcome the well-known problems of its priming phase. We performed the euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp in four patients and the hyperglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp in 14. In one patient both clamps were done. The mean priming time to reach steady-state glycemia was 20 min. Plasma insulin concentrations were measured every 20 min. This new automatic glucose clamp technique enables the priming phase to be run without any significant overshoot, and accidental variations of glycemia in steady state were reduced to a minimum. The system showed satisfactory safety and stability in controlling the patient's glycemia and assured high speed of the priming phase.