Final answer:
Before surgery, insulin dosing is often altered to maintain appropriate blood glucose levels and prevent hypoglycemia, especially since patients will usually be fasting. Administration of insulin injections and the amount are carefully adjusted and personalized for each patient. Antibiotics may also be administered pre-surgery to significantly reduce the risk of hospital-acquired infections.
Step-by-step explanation:
Before surgery, management of insulin is critical for patients with diabetes to maintain appropriate blood glucose levels and prevent both hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia. Insulin dosing may be altered depending on the individual patient's needs and the timing of the surgery. Insulin injections are generally used to transport and store glucose to decrease blood glucose levels after a person consumes a meal, ensuring that glucose is appropriately managed. However, before surgery, the timing, and possibly the amount, of insulin administration might be adjusted to prevent low blood sugar levels due to fasting status. It is synthesized as preproinsulin and later converted to proinsulin before finally becoming active insulin, which is used by the body to control blood sugar levels.
Patients are often instructed to lower their insulin doses before surgery to prevent hypoglycemia, as they will likely be fasting before the procedure. The exact regimen should always be determined by the healthcare provider in the context of the patient's usual insulin regimen and the specific surgical procedure planned.
Patients may also be given antibiotics before surgery to reduce the risk of hospital-acquired infections (HAI). This preventive measure can nearly cut the risk of HAI in half, according to statistics that demonstrate people who receive pre-surgery antibiotics have 0.58 times the risk of developing an HAI.