Surgery and diabetes
Elective surgery
Elective surgery is planned. It is common and can range from biopsies to knee replacement. Because you have diabetes, it is important that your blood glucose levels be under control before having an operation. Your risks of surgical complications and death are much higher if your blood sugar levels are outside a safe range. If your blood glucose is not under control, surgery should be rescheduled.
Elective surgery is often done on an outpatient basis, which means you do not stay in the hospital overnight. Less serious elective surgery is often performed in a doctor's office under local anesthesia.
If you take the oral diabetes medication metformin, omit the morning dose on the day of surgery. If you take insulin, talk with your doctor. Most doctors recommend a reduced dose of insulin—instead of omitting the dose—before surgery. Usually, half of the intermediate- or long-acting insulin is given; short-acting or immediate-acting insulin is omitted.
Because you may develop complications more readily and take longer to heal than a person who does not have diabetes, your doctor may want to admit you to a hospital for the surgery.
Emergency surgery
Emergency surgery is not planned and therefore you do not have a chance to get your blood glucose levels under control beforehand. In this situation, it is important that your surgeon knows that you have diabetes. Because diabetes affects your immune and circulatory systems, your surgeon may need to take extra care in procedures to prevent you from experiencing complications related to the surgery.
You will also probably take longer to recover from the surgery than people who do not have diabetes. Your hospital stay will likely be longer. Additionally, your doctor will want your blood sugar levels within a safe range before you go home. This may require temporary use of an additional oral diabetes medication or insulin.
| Author: | Caroline Rea, RN, BS, MS | Last Updated: August 14, 2007 |
| Medical Review: | Caroline S. Rhoads, MD - Internal Medicine Matthew I. Kim, MD - Endocrinology & Metabolism | |
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