Dextrose gel for newborn low blood sugar
A sugar gel (40% dextrose) given to babies with low blood sugar. In the Sugar Babies trial in New Zealand, treatment failed less often with the gel than with a placebo gel. A follow-up at 9 to 10 years found no difference in school achievement but lower scores on one test of visual perception in the gel group.
Also called Oral dextrose gel · 40% dextrose gel
- Intervention
- In this atlas
Overview
Technical summary
Sugar Babies (Lancet 2013): treatment failure 14% against 24%, relative risk 0.57 (95% CI 0.33 to 0.98). Mid-childhood follow-up (Neonatology 2023): low educational achievement 42% against 45%; visual perception standard scores 95.2 against 100.6 and low visual perception scores 23% against 11% (relative risk 2.23, 95% CI 1.13 to 4.37). The authors concluded that dextrose gel does not appear to cause clinically significant differences in educational achievement or other neurodevelopmental outcomes. Both are single-population results for the contexts stated in the claims.
About this intervention
- Type
- Medicine
- Mechanism
- Not reported
Claims and evidence
Context At-risk babies of 35 to 42 weeks with low blood sugar (Sugar Babies trial)
- Recipient
- Newborn
- Population
- Babies of 35 to 42 weeks of gestation, younger than 48 hours old and at risk of hypoglycaemia. Of 514 enrolled babies, 242 (47%) became hypoglycaemic and were randomised; 237 were analysed.
- Care setting
- A tertiary centre in New Zealand.
- Geography
- New Zealand
- Life stage
- Newborns of 35 to 42 weeks of gestation, under 48 hours old. No gestational or postnatal bound is set in the structured fields because the abstract gives the ages as a range and in hours.
- Gestational age
- Not reported
- Postnatal age
- Not reported
- Follow-up
- Treatment failure was a blood glucose concentration under 2.6 mmol/L after two treatment attempts.
Eligibility: 3 inclusion criteria; exclusion criteria not stated
- Included
- Gestational age 35 to 42 weeks
- Younger than 48 hours old
- At risk of hypoglycaemia, and became hypoglycaemic
- Excluded
- None stated
In the Sugar Babies trial in New Zealand, babies with low blood sugar who were given 40% dextrose gel (200 mg/kg) had treatment failure less often than babies given placebo gel: 14% (16 babies) against 24% (29 babies), relative risk 0.57 (95% CI 0.33 to 0.98; p=0.04). Treatment failure meant a blood glucose concentration under 2.6 mmol/L after two treatment attempts. The authors noted no serious adverse events.
Applies to Newborn- Babies of 35 to 42 weeks of gestation, younger than 48 hours old and at risk of hypoglycaemia. Of 514 enrolled babies, 242 (47%) became hypoglycaemic and were randomised; 237 were analysed.
- A tertiary centre in New Zealand.
- New Zealand
- Newborns of 35 to 42 weeks of gestation, under 48 hours old. No gestational or postnatal bound is set in the structured fields because the abstract gives the ages as a range and in hours.
- Gestational age Not reported
- Postnatal age Not reported
- Certainty method
- Not assessed
- Limitations
- Single tertiary centre in New Zealand. Babies were of 35 to 42 weeks of gestation and under 48 hours old, and the comparison was with feeding alone plus placebo gel. Treatment failure is a short-term blood glucose outcome; later outcomes are in the mid-childhood follow-up claim. Only the abstract was read.
- Last checked
- Not recorded
- Next evidence check due
- Not scheduled
Sources and citations (3)
-
- Locator
- Abstract, FINDINGS, sentences 3 and 4
- How it applies
- Treatment failure result and adverse events.
- Retrieved
- Source effective date
- Not reported
- Source state
- Current
- Snapshot hash
d3194e08b3e533501948fc09092b8bd698ba412808141e6be91f24d3365131ed- Reuse basis
- PubMed record fetched through NCBI E-utilities. Only the hash of the bytes is kept, because publisher copyright may apply to the abstract (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/disclaimer/). Short factual quotations under 25 words, with the citation.
-
- Locator
- Abstract, METHODS, sentences 1, 2 and 5
- How it applies
- Setting, population, doses and the definition of treatment failure.
- Retrieved
- Source effective date
- Not reported
- Source state
- Current
- Snapshot hash
d3194e08b3e533501948fc09092b8bd698ba412808141e6be91f24d3365131ed- Reuse basis
- PubMed record fetched through NCBI E-utilities. Only the hash of the bytes is kept, because publisher copyright may apply to the abstract (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/disclaimer/). Short factual quotations under 25 words, with the citation.
-
- Locator
- Abstract, FINDINGS, sentences 1 and 2
- How it applies
- Numbers enrolled, randomised and analysed.
- Retrieved
- Source effective date
- Not reported
- Source state
- Current
- Snapshot hash
d3194e08b3e533501948fc09092b8bd698ba412808141e6be91f24d3365131ed- Reuse basis
- PubMed record fetched through NCBI E-utilities. Only the hash of the bytes is kept, because publisher copyright may apply to the abstract (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/disclaimer/). Short factual quotations under 25 words, with the citation.
Context Children aged 9 to 10 years who were treated as newborns in the Sugar Babies trial (mid-childhood follow-up)
- Recipient
- Newborn
- Population
- The recipient of the treatment was the newborn; the measured population is the same people as children at a mean age of 9.3 years: 184 of 227 eligible children (81%), who had been randomised as babies to dextrose gel or placebo gel.
- Care setting
- Not stated in the abstract.
- Geography
- Not stated in this abstract. The original trial ran in New Zealand.
- Life stage
- Mid-childhood, 9 to 10 years of age, after treatment as newborns
- Gestational age
- Not reported
- Postnatal age
- Not reported
- Follow-up
- One follow-up assessment at a mean age of 9.3 years. The primary outcome was low educational achievement in reading or mathematics.
Eligibility: 1 inclusion criterion; exclusion criteria not stated
- Included
- Children from the Sugar Babies trial cohort
- Excluded
- None stated
At 9 to 10 years of age, children who had received dextrose gel as newborns did not differ from the placebo group in low educational achievement (42% against 45%; relative risk 1.04, 95% CI 0.76 to 1.44), but had lower visual perception standard scores (95.2 against 100.6; mean difference -5.68, 95% CI -9.79 to -1.57) and more low visual perception scores (23% against 11%; relative risk 2.23, 95% CI 1.13 to 4.37). Other secondary outcomes were similar. The authors concluded that dextrose gel does not appear to cause clinically significant differences in educational achievement or other neurodevelopmental outcomes.
Applies to Newborn- The recipient of the treatment was the newborn; the measured population is the same people as children at a mean age of 9.3 years: 184 of 227 eligible children (81%), who had been randomised as babies to dextrose gel or placebo gel.
- Not stated in the abstract.
- Not stated in this abstract. The original trial ran in New Zealand.
- Mid-childhood, 9 to 10 years of age, after treatment as newborns
- Gestational age Not reported
- Postnatal age Not reported
- Certainty method
- Not assessed
- Limitations
- Follow-up of a randomised trial with 184 of 227 eligible children (81%) assessed. The visual perception difference was a secondary outcome. The abstract does not say whether secondary results were adjusted for multiple comparisons. Only the abstract was read.
- Last checked
- Not recorded
- Next evidence check due
- Not scheduled
Sources and citations (3)
-
- Locator
- Abstract, RESULTS, sentences 2 to 4
- How it applies
- Educational achievement and visual perception results.
- Retrieved
- Source effective date
- Not reported
- Source state
- Current
- Snapshot hash
dceefa05b1c61bfdf1519053a4fdcfd0ec885d9c7e681446ed77f1360da7384d- Reuse basis
- PubMed record fetched through NCBI E-utilities. Only the hash of the bytes is kept, because publisher copyright may apply to the abstract (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/disclaimer/). Short factual quotations under 25 words, with the citation.
-
- Locator
- Abstract, METHODS and RESULTS sentence 1
- How it applies
- Age at follow-up, primary outcome and numbers assessed.
- Retrieved
- Source effective date
- Not reported
- Source state
- Current
- Snapshot hash
dceefa05b1c61bfdf1519053a4fdcfd0ec885d9c7e681446ed77f1360da7384d- Reuse basis
- PubMed record fetched through NCBI E-utilities. Only the hash of the bytes is kept, because publisher copyright may apply to the abstract (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/disclaimer/). Short factual quotations under 25 words, with the citation.
-
- Locator
- Abstract, CONCLUSION, sentence 1
- How it applies
- The authors' conclusion.
- Retrieved
- Source effective date
- Not reported
- Source state
- Current
- Snapshot hash
dceefa05b1c61bfdf1519053a4fdcfd0ec885d9c7e681446ed77f1360da7384d- Reuse basis
- PubMed record fetched through NCBI E-utilities. Only the hash of the bytes is kept, because publisher copyright may apply to the abstract (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/disclaimer/). Short factual quotations under 25 words, with the citation.
Clinical links
Each link reports what one cited claim says about one population. "Evaluated for" means studied, not shown to work. These links do not show that anything is effective or right for you.
-
Claim, not a settled fact Sugar Babies: less treatment failure than placebo gel: Low blood sugar in newborns (neonatal hypoglycaemia)
Applies to Newborn- Babies of 35 to 42 weeks of gestation, younger than 48 hours old and at risk of hypoglycaemia. Of 514 enrolled babies, 242 (47%) became hypoglycaemic and were randomised; 237 were analysed.
- A tertiary centre in New Zealand.
- New Zealand
- Newborns of 35 to 42 weeks of gestation, under 48 hours old. No gestational or postnatal bound is set in the structured fields because the abstract gives the ages as a range and in hours.
- Gestational age Not reported
- Postnatal age Not reported
In the Sugar Babies trial in New Zealand, babies with low blood sugar who were given 40% dextrose gel (200 mg/kg) had treatment failure less often than babies given placebo gel: 14% (16 babies) against 24% (29 babies), relative risk 0.57 (95% CI 0.33 to 0.98; p=0.04). Treatment failure meant a blood glucose concentration under 2.6 mmol/L after two treatment attempts. The authors noted no serious adverse events.Limitations. Single tertiary centre in New Zealand. Babies were of 35 to 42 weeks of gestation and under 48 hours old, and the comparison was with feeding alone plus placebo gel. Treatment failure is a short-term blood glucose outcome; later outcomes are in the mid-childhood follow-up claim. Only the abstract was read.
-
Claim, not a settled fact Mid-childhood follow-up of the Sugar Babies trial: Low blood sugar in newborns (neonatal hypoglycaemia)
Applies to Newborn- The recipient of the treatment was the newborn; the measured population is the same people as children at a mean age of 9.3 years: 184 of 227 eligible children (81%), who had been randomised as babies to dextrose gel or placebo gel.
- Not stated in the abstract.
- Not stated in this abstract. The original trial ran in New Zealand.
- Mid-childhood, 9 to 10 years of age, after treatment as newborns
- Gestational age Not reported
- Postnatal age Not reported
At 9 to 10 years of age, children who had received dextrose gel as newborns did not differ from the placebo group in low educational achievement (42% against 45%; relative risk 1.04, 95% CI 0.76 to 1.44), but had lower visual perception standard scores (95.2 against 100.6; mean difference -5.68, 95% CI -9.79 to -1.57) and more low visual perception scores (23% against 11%; relative risk 2.23, 95% CI 1.13 to 4.37). Other secondary outcomes were similar. The authors concluded that dextrose gel does not appear to cause clinically significant differences in educational achievement or other neurodevelopmental outcomes.Limitations. Follow-up of a randomised trial with 184 of 227 eligible children (81%) assessed. The visual perception difference was a secondary outcome. The abstract does not say whether secondary results were adjusted for multiple comparisons. Only the abstract was read.
Record details
- Record id
maternal:oral-dextrose-gel- Content hash
ec58b35a02a7086d9471fa38747498919f7a34b042d2cf09c387ae94aebd9df7