Diabetes Mellitus and Cardiopulmonary Bypass (CPB): Pathophysiological Mechanisms Related to Inflammation and...

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic disease caused by the resistance of tissues to the actions of insulin as well as the progressive failure to produce adequate amounts of insulin in pancreatic β-cells. Research has further shown that T2DM is characterized by a generalized state of low-grade inflammation; this inflammation is often related to overnutrition and obesity leading to an excess storage of lipid particles in adipose cells. Eventually, this will stimulate the pathophysiological pathways of cellular stress and inflammation. The inflammation characterizing T2DM can then contribute, along with other mechanisms of hyperglycemia, to the emergence of cardiovascular disease. Due to the resulting heart disease, many patients with T2DM may be inevitably required to undergo cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), a process also characterized by an intense inflammatory response with possible effects and disruptions in immune system functions. It is thus the purpose of this narrative review to summarize and present evidence in the literature related to the inflammatory interplay occurring between T2DM, cardiovascular disease, and cardiac surgery with CPB.