Perioperative Glycemic Surveillance and Control-Current Practices, Efficacy and Impact on Postoperative Outcomes following Infrainguinal Vascular Intervention

Background: Perioperative glycemic control plays a pivotal role in improving postsurgical outcomes. Hyperglycemia occurs frequently in surgical patients and has been associated with higher rates of mortality and postoperative complications. However, no current guidelines exist regarding intraoperative glycemic monitoring of patients undergoing peripheral vascular procedures and postoperative surveillance is often restricted to diabetic patients. We sought to characterize the current practices around glycemic monitoring and efficacy of perioperative glycemic control at our institution. We also examined the impact of hyperglycemia in our surgical population.Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study performed at the McGill University Health Centre and Jewish General Hospital in Montreal, Canada. Patients undergoing elective open lower extremity revascularization or major amputation between 2019 and 2022 were included. Data collected from the electronic medical record included standard demographics, clinical, and surgical characteristics. Glycemic measurements and perioperative insulin use were recorded. Outcomes included 30-day mortality and postoperative complications.Results: A total of 303 patients were included in the study. Overall, 38.9% of patients experienced perioperative hyperglycemia defined as glucose >180 mg/dL (10 mmol/L) during their hospital admission. Only 12 (3.9%) patients within the cohort underwent any intraoperative glycemic surveillance, while 141 patients (46.5%) had an insulin sliding scale prescribed postoperatively. Despite these efforts, 51 (16.8%) patients remained hyperglycemic for at least 40% of their measurements during their hospitalization. Hyperglycemia in our cohort was significantly associated with an increased risk of 30-day acute kidney injury (11.9% vs. 5.4%, P = 0.042), major adverse cardiac events (16.1% vs. 8.6%, P = 0.048), major adverse limb events (13.6% vs. 6.5%, P = 0.038), any infection (30.5% vs. 20.5%, P = 0.049), intensive care unit admission (11% vs. 3.2%, P = 0.006) and reintervention (22.9% vs. 12.4%, P = 0.017) on univariate analysis. Furthermore, multivariable logistic regression including the covariates of age, sex, hypertension, smoking status, diabetic status, presence of chronic kidney disease, dialysis, Rutherford stage, coronary artery disease and perioperative hyperglycemia demonstrated a significant relationship between perioperative hyperglycemia and 30-day mortality (odds ratio [OR]: 25.00, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.469-250.00, P = 0.006), major adverse cardiac events (OR: 2.08, 95% CI: 1.008-4.292, P = 0.048), major adverse limb events (OR: 2.24, 95% CI: 1.020-4.950, P = 0.045), acute kidney injury (OR: 7.58, 95% CI: 3.021-19.231, P < 0.001), reintervention (OR: 2.06, 95% CI: 1.117-3.802, P = 0.021), and intensive care unit admission (OR: 3.38, 95% CI: 1.225-9.345, P = 0.019).Conclusions: Perioperative hyperglycemia was associated with 30-day mortality and complications in our study. Despite this, intraoperative glycemic surveillance occurred rarely in our cohort and current postoperative glycemic control protocols and management failed to achieve optimal control in a significant percentage of patients. Standardized glycemic monitoring and stricter control in the intraoperative and postoperative period therefore represent an area of opportunity for reducing patient mortality and complications following lower extremity vascular surgery.