What to Know About Spine Surgery & Diabetes
Category: Spine Surgery | Author: Stefano Sinicropi
Diabetes rates are on the rise in America, and undoubtedly surgeons are seeing more diabetic patients in their office for surgical consultations. Managing diabetes is a complicated process, but the condition can also make it harder for surgeons to have an operation go exactly as expected. Below, we take a look at some of the risks diabetic patients face when they need a spine surgery, and how surgeons work to limit and prevent complications.
Spine Surgery and Risks For Diabetics
All surgeries carry some risks, but those risks can be exacerbated if your health isn’t the best. This is why you should always be open and honest with your physician when you head in for an appointment or consultation. The more the doctor knows about your health, the higher the likelihood of avoiding complications. Overall, complications are rare, but you’re more likely to develop one or more of these complications if you’re diabetic:
- Infections
- Longer hospital stays
- Blood clots
- Pressure sores
- Bleeding
- Stroke
Diabetes also increases your risk of heart problems or death in the event of a problem during spine surgery, but again, these risks are carefully analyzed and controlled for by your doctor to provide the patient with the best outcome. However, if you want to give yourself the best chance to have a successful spine surgery, you should make sure you do one thing.
Improving Your Odds Of A Successful Surgery
Statistics show that there’s one specific thing diabetics can do to greatly improve their likelihood of having a successful spine surgery, and that’s to have well-controlled blood glucose levels in the days and weeks leading up to surgery. In fact, if your blood glucose levels aren’t well regulated, your surgeon may recommend that you put the surgery off until those levels are well maintained.
You can control your blood glucose levels by exercising, eating a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight and taking your medications at regular intervals. Once your doctor is content with your overall health and your blood glucose levels, you will be scheduled for surgery and prepped on your next steps.
Edina Spinal Surgeon
Dr. Sinicropi has performed numerous spinal operations on patients who live with diabetes, and he’s careful to control for any potential problems. This begins at the consultation stage where he explains what he needs from the patient in order to do his best work as a surgeon. Once the patient has proven that they can regularly get their blood glucose levels in a safe range, he and his staff will prep the patient and complete the surgery. Once the operation is complete, he’ll walk you through your rehab and care guidelines prior to discharge so you have the best chance of making a full recovery. For more information, or to set up a consultation, reach out to Dr. Sinicropi’s office today.
