Unregistered User If this is not your name, click here.
		Contact Us | Order Now | Journals | Bookstore | Register a colleague
	Select a ChannelAcneAIDS and HIVAllergy OtherAlzheimer'sAnaesthesiology OtherAngina Pectoris/MIAnxietyArthritis OtherAsthmaBack PainBacterial InfectionsBladder CancerBone Marrow TransplantationBreast CancerCardiology OtherCataractCell TransplantationCervical CancerCholesterol/Lipid disordersCirrhosisClinical PharmacologyColorectal CancerCongestive Heart FailureContact DermatitisContraceptionCOPDCystic FibrosisDental and Oral DisordersDepressionDermatology OtherDiabetesDialysisEating DisordersElbowEmergency MedicineEndocrinology OtherEpilepsyErectile DysfunctionFibromyalgiaGastro OtherGeneticsGenitourinary OtherGeriatricsGERD/GastritisGlaucomaH. Pylori/UlcerHaematology OtherHair LossHeadachesHepa/Biliary OtherHepatitisHipHRTHypertensionIBDImmunologyInfectious OtherInfertilityIntensive CareIrritable Bowel SyndromeKneeLeukemiasLiver CancerLung CancerLupusLymphomasMelanomaMenopauseMultiple Sclerosis Nephrology OtherNeurologic OtherNutritional / Metabolic OtherOb/Gyn OtherObesityOncology OtherOphth. OtherOphthalmic SurgeryOrgan TransplantationOrthopaedics OtherOsteoarthritisOsteoporosisOtitisOtorhino. OtherOvarian CancerPaediatricsPainPancreatic CancerParkinson'sPregnancyProstate CancerPsychiatry OtherPulmonary OtherRadiologyRenal CancerRenal FailureRespiratory InfectionsRheumatoid arthritisRheumatology OtherRhinitisSchizophreniaShoulderSleep ApnoeaSleep DisordersSpineStrokeSTDsSurgeryThyroid DisordersTransfusionTransplant Surgery OtherTraumaUrinary IncontinenceUrinary tract infectionsVaccinologyVascular DisordersViral Infections

SEARCH   News Bookstore Medline The Web Meetings & Congresses Complete Doctor's Guide    EXPLORE :    All News   All Webcasts   All Cases   All Meetings & Congresses   All Medical Resources New drugs / indications English Dictionary Medical Dictionary Thesaurus Warning | Privacy | Awards  Favourite Journals  Click here to choose your favourite journals  Favourite Sites  Click here to choose your favourite sites  Languages  Select languageEnglishFrançais

Glucose Levels Affect Total Joint Replacement Outcomes in Patients With Diabetes ROSEMONT, Ill -- July 3, 2009 -- Patients with diabetes undergoing total joint replacement often are at a higher risk of experiencing complications after surgery due to various pre-existing health conditions. According to a new study published in the July 2009 issue of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS), those complications are less likely to occur when a patient with diabetes has glucose levels under control. “We found that controlled glucose levels really do make a difference for the patient,” said study co-author Milford Marchant Jr., MD, Adult Reconstruction Section, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina. The study found that patients with uncontrolled glucose levels were more than 3 times as likely to experience a stroke or death after joint replacement surgery and about twice as likely to experience post-operative bleeding and infection. Dr. Marchant and his colleagues reviewed data from a national healthcare database looking at more than one million patients who had total joint replacement surgery from 1988 to 2005. They compared surgical outcomes in patients with uncontrolled glucose levels to those who had controlled glucose levels and those patients who did not have diabetes. “It did not matter if the patient had type 1 or type 2 diabetes,” explained Dr. Marchant. “Regardless of diabetes type, we found that patients had fewer complications after surgery if their glucose level was controlled before, during and after surgery.” Patients with diabetes with uncontrolled glucose were more likely to experience surgical complications, infection, blood transfusions, and longer hospitals stays. “The factors necessary for diabetic patients to be considered ‘under control’ are different for each individual patient, therefore diabetic patients should have good relationships with their medical doctors,” said Dr. Marchant. “It is crucial that patients have glucose levels well managed before, during and after surgery because it reduces the potential of having a complication,” noted Dr. Marchant. “This is the responsibility of both the patient and the surgeon, and it should be a priority.” SOURCE: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version