NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Among patients undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass, tight perioperative control of blood glucose levels is linked to a lower risk of, and failure, Belgian investigators report.

As reported in Critical Care published online December 4, Dr. Patrick Lecomte and colleagues at Onze-Lieve-Vrouw Hospital in Aalst, Belgium, retrospectively compared outcomes of 350 patients (10.8% diabetics) undergoing cardiac surgery with no intervention in glucose control and 745 patients (5.6% diabetics) who received insulin therapy when blood glucose levels exceeded 150 mg/dL. Intra- and postoperative glucose levels were targeted to the range 80-110 mg/dL.

Mean blood glucose levels were lower in the insulin group compared with controls from the time of cardiopulmonary bypass rewarming until ICU discharge. Median ICU stay was 2 days for both groups.

“In non-diabetics, strict perioperative blood glucose control was associated with a reduced incidence of renal impairment (p = 0.01) and failure (p = 0.02) scoring