Perioperative Management of Pediatric Patients With Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus, Updated Recommendations for Anesthesiologists

Anesth Analg. 2020 Apr;130(4):821-827. doi: 10.1213/ANE.0000000000004491.

Abstract

Approximately 1 of every 300 children in the United States has type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D), and these patients may require anesthetics for a variety of procedures. Perioperative coordination is complex, and attention to perioperative fasting, appropriate insulin administration, and management of hypo- and hyperglycemia, as well as other metabolic abnormalities, is required. Management decisions may be impacted by the patient's baseline glycemic control and home insulin regimen, the type of procedure being performed, and expected postoperative recovery. If possible, preoperative planning with input from the patient's endocrinologist is considered best practice. A multi-institutional working group was formed by the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia Quality and Safety Committee to review current guidelines in the endocrinology and anesthesia literature and provide recommendations to anesthesiologists caring for pediatric patients with T1D in the perioperative setting. Recommendations for preoperative evaluation, glucose monitoring, insulin administration, fluid management, and postoperative management are discussed, with particular attention to increasingly prevalent insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitoring (CGM).

Publication types

  • Guideline
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Anesthesiologists
  • Blood Glucose
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / therapy*
  • Humans
  • Hypoglycemic Agents / administration & dosage
  • Hypoglycemic Agents / therapeutic use
  • Infant
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Insulin / administration & dosage
  • Insulin / therapeutic use
  • Intraoperative Period
  • Perioperative Care / methods*
  • Perioperative Care / standards*
  • Postoperative Care / methods
  • Postoperative Care / standards

Substances

  • Blood Glucose
  • Hypoglycemic Agents
  • Insulin