preparation of a diabetic for emergency surgery
Last reviewed 01/2018
All diabetic patients being admitted for emergency surgery require intravenous control of their blood glucose irrespective of the severity of their diabetes.
If the patient is in a diabetic ketoacidotic crisis, effective control of the metabolic disorder will be advantageous in two ways:
- vomiting and abdominal pain will be relieved; these may have been the original indications for surgery
- the surgery will be safer
A few hours spent correcting ketoacidosis is essential unless the patient is in extremis: usually, there are electrolytes and acid-base abnormalities.