Strict blood sugar control after heart surgery may not be necessary

Study results may encourage hospitals to consider more liberal blood sugar control policies

2014-10-01

(Press-News.org) Chicago, October 1, 2014 – Patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery may not have to follow a strict blood sugar management strategy after surgery, according to a study in the October 2014 issue of the Annals of Thoracic Surgery.

Key points

Liberal management of a patient's blood sugar levels following CABG surgery leads to similar survival and long-term quality of life as achieved through stricter blood sugar management. The findings applied to all patients, regardless of diabetes status. The results may encourage hospitals to consider more lenient blood sugar control in all patients after heart bypass surgery.

Previous research has shown that hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) after CABG and other cardiac surgery is associated with increased morbidity and mortality; however, more recent studies have shown that liberal maintenance of blood glucose levels ( END

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