diabetes mellitus (anaesthesia and surgery)

Last reviewed 01/2018

The surgical mortality is higher in poorly controlled diabetics.

The lifetime probablility of a diabetic undergoing surgery is 50%. Of these operations, 5% will be emergencies.

The preparation of a diabetic for surgery is described for two circumstances:

  • elective surgery
  • emergency surgery

For both, individual centres and clinicians have their personal preferences about management. The following sections detail one popular approach.