Left uncontrolled, patients with preoperative hyperglycemia have a high risk of pulmonary embolism after surgery, according to researchers at Thomas Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia.
“These data suggest that if an individual has high blood glucose and is coming for surgery, he or she should correct it first and probably postpone the surgery,” Boris Mraovic, MD, assistant professor at Thomas Jefferson Medical College, said in a college news release.
Mraovic and colleagues looked at 6,500 knee or hip replacement patients who were admitted into Thomas Jefferson University Hospital between the years 2003 and 2005.
On the day of preoperative testing, 38 of the patients had more than 250 mg/dl of blood glucose, which is considered high, and 10% of these patients developed a pulmonary embolism. This rate is 6.2 times greater than that of the general population, according to the release.
The researchers presented their study results at the annual meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists in Chicago.
Despite the increased risk in patients with hyperglycemia, diabetes is not associated with thromboembolic events.
However, patients should be aware of the risks related to hyperglycemia and that their glucose levels need to be under control prior to and during surgery, Mraovic said in the release.
Paying more attention to glucose levels in patients will not only lower operative risks, it will also lower the amount of hospital stays, researchers reported.
