Mortality in diabetic patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery: a 7-year follow-up study

Background: The prognosis of diabetic patients after non‐cardiac surgery remains controversial. This study was designed to compare the long‐term mortality between diabetic and non‐diabetic control patients undergoing non‐cardiac surgery and to evaluate the possible risk factors. Methods: We investigated 274 consecutive diabetic patients and 282 non‐diabetic control patients who underwent non‐cardiac surgery within 1 year in a tertiary care hospital in Finland. The control group was matched for the same type of operations. Patients were followed for up to 7 years on average. The main outcome measure was mortality within 7 years. Results: Mortality both in the short‐term postoperatively (≤21 days) and in the long‐term (up to 87 ½ months) was significantly higher in the diabetic patients compared with the non‐diabetic group: 3.5 vs. 0% (P