Management of hyperglycemia in the hospitalized podiatric medical patient.

With the growing prevalence worldwide of diabetes mellitus and hyperglycemia, hospital-based health-care professionals will encounter patients with these conditions with increasing frequency. It is well known that long-term control of blood glucose reduces the rate and severity of complications in patients with diabetes, but there is also mounting evidence that even short-term glycemic control in hospitalized diabetic patients can significantly lower morbidity and mortality in many areas, from nosocomial infection to postoperative course. The results of traditional approaches to controlling blood glucose in hospitalized patients have been disappointing owing to a variety of factors, including the use of oral agents that are difficult or dangerous to use in inpatients, older insulin preparations with unphysiologic modes of action, and even provider reluctance to accept glycemic control as an essential element of the care of the diabetic hospitalized patient. This article provides guidelines for the effective management of hyperglycemia in these patients throughout the hospital stay, with specific recommendations for the perioperative, operative, and postoperative periods.