Approximately 30-40% of hospitalized patients will develop stress hyperglycemia (high glucose in response to surgery or illness). High glucose is linked to an increased risk of hospital complications including wound infection, kidney failure and death. Patients with high glucose are treated with insulin given through an arm vein or by frequent insulin injections under the skin. Recent studies have found that inpatient therapy with oral dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor (DPP4-I) is an effective alternative to insulin in improving glycemic control with low risk of hypoglycemia in general medicine and surgical patients.~Sitagliptin is an oral medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat patients with diabetes. The aim of this study is to determine whether treatment with sitagliptin once daily can prevent the development of stress hyperglycemia during the postoperative period in non-diabetic patients undergoing general surgery.
The purpose of this study is to compare sitagliptin with a placebo for the prevention of high glucose after general surgery.