Table 2 Background characteristics of included studies.
Author, year | Study name | Sample size | Study group | Comparison group | Primary Outcome | Evaluation method | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Harris et al. 2014 [31] | Double blind RCT | 242 | 40% dextrose gel | Placebo gel | Admission to NICU for hypoglycemia, 30 min after two doses of gel | Glucose oxidase method (Radiometer, ABL800 FLEX, Copenhagen, Denmark) | |
Hegarty et al. 2016 [32] | RCT | 100 | 40% dextrose gel | Placebo gel | Admission to NICU for hypoglycemia, in the first 48 h after birth | Glucose oxidase method, either with a portable blood glucose analyzer (i-STAT, Abbott Laboratories, Abbott Park, Illinois, United States) or a combined metabolite/blood gas analyzer (e.g., ABL 700, Radiometer, Copenhagen, Denmark) | |
Harris et al. 2017 [30] | RCT | 295 | 40% dextrose gel | Placebo gel | Changes in blood glucose concentration | Blood gas analyzer (Radiometer, ABL800Flex, Copenhagen, Denmark) using the glucose oxidase method (reading range 0.0-60 mmol/L, coefficient of variation 2.1%) | |
Coors et al. 2018 [29] | Quasi-Experimental Pilot Study | 236 | 40% dextrose gel (Insta- glucose) | Regular milk feeding without any gel | Admission to NICU for hypoglycemia for IV dextrose | Glucometer (Abbott Precision XceedPro, Alameda, California) | |
Harding et al. 2021 [23] | Double blinded RCT | 2129 | 40% dextrose gel | Placebo gel | Admission to NICU for hypoglycemia, in the first 48 h after birth | Glucose oxidase method, either with a portable blood glucose analyzer (e.g., iSTAT, Abbott Laboratories, Abbott Park, IL, US) or a combined metabolite/blood gas analyzer (e.g., ABL 700, Radiometer, Copenhagen, Denmark) | |
