Effect of Perioperative Glycemia Protocol on Glycemic Outcomes in Diabetic Patients Undergoing Abdominal Surgery

Overview

This study evaluated to the effects of a glycaemic control protocol directed by nurses during the perioperative period on glycaemic outcomes in diabetic patients undergoing major abdominal surgery. The study was conducted at the department of general surgery of a research and training hospital.The study included 47 patients who underwent elective major abdominal surgery between September 2017 and December 2018. The number of patients in the intervention and the control groups was 22 and 25, respectively. The glycemia control protocol will be used in the glycemia management of intervention group,routine glycemia management will be used in the control group.

The prevalence of diabetes among the surgical patient population is 10-15%, and surgical operations are administered to diabetic patients more frequently compared to non-diabetic patients. Diabetes or hyperglycaemia in surgical patients increases mortality and morbidity rates during the perioperative period by 50% compared to non-diabetic patients. Maintaining patient blood glucose (BG) levels of within the target range during the surgical period is crucial to prevent postoperative complications. The target BG level has been modified in line with recent scientific findings; institutions (such as the American Diabetes Association), have prepared new guidelines for the management of glycaemia in critically ill and surgical patients. Insulin infusion is the most effective method to control glycaemia in patients with critical disease or in patients about to undergo major surgery. Therefore, current guidelines recommend the use of reliable and practical glycaemia control protocols during insulin infusion. These protocols should be learnt by all members of the team that provide healthcare. Existing studies suggest that glycaemic management protocols are effective methods to achieve the target BG range and decrease the prevalence of hyperglycaemia and hypoglycaemia in critically ill and major surgery patients in a reliable and effective way.