Complications after surgery in hemodialysis patients: A comparison between diabetic and non-diabetic patients

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The number of hemodialysis (HD) patients, especially the number of HD patients who need this treatment due to diabetic nephropathy, is markedly increasing. We investigated the types and numbers of surgeries and post-surgery complications in HD patients, and compared data between patients with and without diabetes mellitus (DM). METHODS: A total of 188 HD patients who had undergone surgery (except ophthalmological surgery) at the Hirosaki University Hospital from 1998 to 2004 were entered into the present study. The types and numbers of surgeries, the complications after surgery, and the laboratory data before surgery were taken from the medical records. We compared these data between DM and non-DM patients. RESULTS: In the DM patients, the number of surgeries involving the vascular system were higher than in non-DM patients. Of complications after surgery, congestion was the most frequently observed complication in both the DM and the non-DM patients. Infection and delayed wound healing were more frequently observed in the DM patients. In the analysis of laboratory data before surgery, the serum total protein and potassium concentrations in patients with complications after surgery were lower than in patients without complications. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that, to prevent complications post-surgery, we should pay special attention to vascular diseases in HD patients with diabetes and carefully manage the nutritional conditions in HD patients.