Intensive hyperglycemia control reduces postoperative infections after open heart surgery

Background: Diabetes mellitus increases the risk of infections in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. We hypothesized that intensive perioperative hyperglycemia control by intravenous insulin infusion reduces postoperative infections in all patients undergoing open heart surgical procedures. Methods: Sixty diabetics patients who underwent CABG operation (Group 1) were compared with fifty-five patients who underwent other cardiac surgery (Group 2) between January 2004 and March 2005. A continuous infusion of insulin was used in all these patients. Results: There were no 30-day mortalities in either group. There was no difference in the incidence of infections between the two groups: in Group 1, 3 (5%) patients were diagnosed to have postoperative infection (superficial sternal wound infections in 1 (1.66%) and lung infection in 2 (3.33%) patients); postoperative infection occurred in only 2 patients (3.63%) in Group 2, 1 superficial sternal wound infections (1.81%) and 1 lung infection (1.81%). Conclusions: Our analysis indicates that continuous intravenous insulin infusion improves outcome and reduces postoperative infections in patients undergoing CABG as well as those undergoing other cardiac surgery procedures.