The Association Between Peri-Operative Hyperglycemia and Major Morbidity and Mortality

Plain-language summary

Surgery induces a stress effect on the body partially through a catabolic energy state. In turn, glucose levels may rise to levels which have been associated with major morbidity (Golden, 1999) and mortality (Ouattara, 2005). An increasing body of evidence suggests that intensive insulin therapy for tight control of blood glucose levels in certain surgical and critical care patient populations may improve mortality and selected morbidity outcomes when compared to those patients receiving conventional insulin therapy and blood glucose management. More specifically, poor intra-operative blood glucose control is associated with worse outcome after cardiac surgery. Intensive insulin therapy with tight blood glucose control in surgical patients while in the ICU may reduce morbidity and mortality. Such outcome improvements would clearly provide benefits to patients, providers and payers. To date, there is scant research examining whether intensive insulin therapy for tight control of blood glucose in the perioperative period can alter outcomes for the non cardiac surgery population. The purpose of this study is to determine whether intensive insulin therapy for tight control of blood glucose in the perioperative period in non cardiac major surgery patients is associated with altered morbidity and mortality rates.

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