108th Bern Anaesthesia Symposium
Perioperative Glucose Management:
Current Concepts and Future Directions
Wednesday, 25th November 2026, 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Few perioperative parameters are measured as frequently, and managed as inconsistently, as blood glucose. Between shifting target ranges, a rapidly growing number of antidiabetic drugs, insulin regimens of increasing complexity, and patients who now bring their own sensor technology into the operating room, perioperative glucose management has become a field in continuous need of recalibration.
Opening the evening, Prof Dr Jeroen Hermanides, PhD will turn to the question of which glucose targets can be justified on the basis of current evidence. Between the risks of hyperglycaemia and the dangers of overly ambitious control lies a narrow corridor whose boundaries shift with patient population and type of surgery.
PD Dr Sebastian Roth will shed light on the latest evidence on how non-insulin antidiabetic medication should be managed in the perioperative period. Both the recommendations themselves and their practical implementation vary considerably between institutions. The handling of SGLT2 inhibitors and GLP-1 receptor agonists in particular remains a matter of debate.
Prof Dr Dominik Günsch will guide us through the jungle of modern insulin therapy. The range of available insulin analogues has grown considerably, and each behaves differently perioperatively. A structured overview of who receives what, how these regimens should be adapted, and how insulin is best administered in the operating room is overdue.
To close, Dr Jorinde A. W. Polderman, PhD will turn to the technological side. Continuous glucose monitoring and automated insulin delivery systems are standard in ambulatory care and offer real perioperative advantages, yet they carry distinct pitfalls in the operating room. Where these systems stand today, and where they are heading, provides the outlook for the evening.
We look forward to welcoming you to the 108th Bern Anaesthesia Symposium!
Dr Thilo Schweizer Prof Dr Dominik Günsch
University Clinic for Anaesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Inselspital Bern
The symposium is recognised with the following credits: SSAPM 3