Comparison of sevoflurane and propofol anesthesia on the incidence of hyperglycemia in patients with type 2 diabetes undergoing lung surgery.

Background: The type and regimen of anesthesia may affect perioperative hyperglycemia following major surgical stress. This study compared the effects of sevoflurane and propofol on the incidence of hyperglycemia and clinical outcomes in diabetic patients undergoing lung surgery.

Methods: This retrospective study included 176 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who had undergone lung surgery. Blood glucose levels and clinical outcomes from the preoperative period to the first 2 post-operative days (PODs) were retrospectively examined in patients who received sevoflurane (group S, n= 87) and propofol (group P, n=89) for maintenance of general anesthesia. The primary endpoint was the incidence of persistent hyperglycemia (2 consecutive blood glucose levels >180 mg/dL [10.0 mmol/L]) during the perioperative period. The secondary composite endpoint was the incidence of major postoperative complications and 30-day mortality rate after surgery.

Results: Blood glucose levels similarly increased from the preoperative period to the second POD in both groups (=0.857). Although blood glucose levels at 2 hours after surgery were significantly lower in group P than in group S (=0.022; 95% confidence interval for mean difference, -27.154 to -2.090), there was no difference in the incidence of persistent hyperglycemia during the perioperative period (group S, 70%; group P, 69%; =0.816). The composite of major postoperative complications and all-cause in-hospital and 30-day mortality rates were also comparable between the two groups.

Conclusion: Sevoflurane and propofol were associated with a comparable incidence of perioperative hyperglycemia and clinical outcomes in diabetic patients undergoing lung surgery.