A large review of studies looked at blood sugar problems in kids after heart surgery. The goal was to find out how common this is and what it means for recovery.
The review included over 3,800 young patients. It found that about 69 out of every 100 kids had blood sugar issues after their operation. High blood sugar was very common, affecting about 71 out of 100 kids. Low blood sugar was less common, affecting about 8 out of 100.
Kids with these blood sugar problems stayed in the intensive care unit for an average of about 180 hours. They also needed a breathing machine for about 95 hours on average. The rates were similar across different parts of the world.
The study shows that blood sugar problems are very common after children's heart surgery. This highlights the need for careful monitoring and clear plans to manage blood sugar during recovery.