Perioperative management of adult diabetic patients. The role of the diabetologist

A patient should be referred to a diabetologist perioperatively in several circumstances: preoperative recognition of a previously unknown diabetes or detection of glycaemic imbalance (HbA1c < 5% or > 8%); during hospitalisation, recognition of a previously unknown diabetes, persisting glycaemic imbalance despite treatment or difficulty resuming previously used chronic treatment; postoperatively and after discharge from hospital, for all diabetic patients in whom HbA1c is > 8%.