Diabetes linked to adverse outcomes after surgery

Editor's Note

Patients with diabetes are more likely to have adverse outcomes after surgery, and greater risks are associated with increasing HbA1c levels, this study finds.

Of 7,565 patients analyzed, 30% had diabetes and 37% had prediabetes. After adjustments, diabetes was linked to increased:

• 6-month mortality (9% in patients with diabetes vs 6% in patients without diabetes)
• major complications (21% vs 14%)
• ICU admission (27% vs 18%)
• mechanical ventilation (16% vs 10%)
• hospital length of stay (7 vs 6 days).

It is known that patients with diabetes have poorer outcomes after cardiac surgery, but this is the first study worldwide showing these patients have poorer outcomes across all surgeries, the authors say.