Hyperglycemia During the Immediate Period Following Liver Transplantation

Abstract

Aim: High blood glucose levels in the hospital are common among transplant recipients. Methods: Retrospective analysis, stratified by diagnosis of pretransplant diabetes mellitus (DM). Results: Of 346 patients, 96 had pretransplant DM (insulin, n = 60; no insulin, n = 36) and 250 did not. Patients with pretransplant DM had higher inpatient mean glucose levels and more hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia (all p < 0.01). For patients without pretransplant DM, the need for insulin at discharge increased 23% for every 5-year age increase (odds ratio: 1.23; 95% CI: 1.06–1.44; p = 0.007) and 51% for every five units of glucose measurements >180 mg/dl (OR: 1.51; 95% CI: 1.23–1.95; p < 0.01). Conclusion: Inpatient hyperglycemia was common in liver transplant recipients. Hospital practitioners must anticipate the need to teach self-management skills to liver transplant recipients.

Lay abstract: High blood glucose levels (also known as hyperglycemia) in the hospital are common among patients who have received a transplant. The authors conducted a study to determine how often high blood glucose values occurred in patients who received a liver transplant and found that values were highest in people who had diabetes before the transplant. However, even patients who did not have a history of diabetes had hyperglycemia and needed insulin treatment. Providers caring for these patients in the hospital must be prepared to provide education in diabetes self-management skills to virtually all patients undergoing a liver transplant.

Keywords::

• diabetes mellitus
• hospital
• hyperglycemia
• inpatient
• liver transplant

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Ethical conduct of research

The authors state that they have obtained appropriate institutional review board approval or have followed the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki for all human or animal experimental investigations. In addition, for investigations involving human subjects, informed consent has been obtained from the participants involved.

Author contributions

K Tuesday Werner: data collection, manuscript preparation. Patricia A Mackey: data collection, manuscript preparation. Janna C Castro: electronic data retrieval. Elizabeth J Carey: subject matter expert, manuscript preparation. Harini A Chakkera: subject matter expert, manuscript preparation. Curtiss B Cook: statistical analysis, manuscript preparation.