Constant intravenous insulin infusion during labor and delivery in diabetes mellitus.

We treated 30 diabetic women (31 pregnancies) during the peripartum period with a continuous insulin infusion. A mean infusion rate of 1.0 micron/h maintained the mean plasma glucose concentration below 100 mg/dl in 84% of the patients; the plasma glucose concentration was below 100 mg/dl within an hour of delivery in 71% of the women. Mild hypoglycemia developed during the infusion in three women and after delivery in another patient. Only two infants of the diabetic mothers developed transient and asymptomatic hypoglycemia. We conclude that continuous insulin infusion is a practical, safe, and effective method for treating diabetic mothers during the peripartum period and suggest that this technique may decrease the frequency and severity of neonatal hypoglycemia.