TVCH FORUMS HOME . JOIN . FAN CLUBS . DONATE . CONTACT . CHAT  
 Wikia  Quick Links   TOPICS . TREE-VIEW . SEARCH . HELP! . NEWS . PROFILE
Having Surgery? Things to consider . . .

The TVClubHouse: General Discussions ARCHIVES: 2006 Jun. ~ 2006 Dec.: Health Center (ARCHIVES): Having Surgery? Things to consider . . . users admin

Author Message
Herckleperckle
Member

11-20-2003

Friday, October 20, 2006 - 12:03 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Herckleperckle a private message Print Post    
Source: Ivanhoe.com
Reported October 16, 2006


High Blood Sugar Complicates Surgery, Increases Death


By Caroline Penn, Ivanhoe Health Correspondent

ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- If you are having hip, knee or heart surgery, make sure to test your blood sugar levels before surgery. It may just save your life.

Patients who have high blood sugar before undergoing surgery run an increased risk of developing blood clots, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and even pulmonary embolism after surgery. DVT is a blood clot that develops in a deep vein, usually in the lower leg. It can cause pain in the leg and can potentially lead to complications like a pulmonary embolism.

Pulmonary embolism happens when a part of the blood clot breaks off, travels through the bloodstream and lodges in the lungs, blocking blood flow. This can happen hours, or even days, after the formation of a clot in the calf veins. Pulmonary embolism contributes to as many as 200,000 deaths annually in the United States.

A study by Boris Mraovic, M.D., assistant professor of anesthesiology at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, reveals a connection between increased blood sugar and a greater risk of dying or medical complications, for hospital patients in intensive or cardiac care units.

Dr. Mraovic and colleagues studied the medical records of about 6,500 patients of hip or knee replacement surgery whose high blood sugar wasn't under control -- greater than 250 milligrams per deciliter -- before surgery. They found 10.5 percent (more than six-times higher than expected) of the patients with high blood sugar developed pulmonary embolism. They report this finding suggests a patient who has very high blood glucose should postpone the surgery until it is lowered to avoid the risk of complications.

"Most of these [hip and knee replacement] patients are on medication for diabetes. We test their sugar two weeks prior to surgery and that gives us time to give them the proper education they need. It also gives them a chance to adjust the dose of medications prior to surgery," Dr. Mraovic told Ivanhoe.

Have your blood sugar levels tested prior to invasive surgery. Dr. Mraovic says that as many as 25 percent of all surgery patients come to the hospital with diabetes or high blood sugar, some unaware. "Many people that come into the hospital via an ambulance and need emergency surgery don't even know they are diabetic," said Dr. Mraovic. He added because the study was retrospective, drawing firm conclusions can sometimes be difficult.


SOURCE: Ivanhoe interview with Boris Mraovic, M.D, assistant professor of anesthesiology in the Artificial Pancreas Center at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia