[Control of diabetes in the perioperative period]

Surgical procedure and anaesthesia commonly induce severe diabetes maladjustment. In these circumstances, optimal insulin administration is crucial and has been shown to prevent hyperglycaemia which is mostly due to insulin-counteracting hormones. We report the results obtained in 12 diabetic patients treated with a new method during various surgical procedures. The method consists of constant rate intravenous administration of a 5% glucose solution associated with intravenous insulin infusion delivered by an electric syringe at the rate of 1/2 U of insulin per hour for each glycaemic variation of 50 mg/dl. With this simple method, blood glucose concentrations remain close to physiological levels, and no hypoglycaemia occurs.