Is there any difference in anesthetic management of biliary atresia and glycogen storage disease patients undergoing liver transplantation?

BACKGROUND

The purpose of the study was to compare the intraoperative blood glucose changes and the dosage of glucose infused between biliary atresia and glycogen storage disease (GSD) patients undergoing living donor liver transplantation (LDLT).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The anesthesia records of biliary atresia and GSD patients undergoing LDLT were reviewed retrospectively. The levels of intraoperative blood glucose before operation, after induction of anesthesia, in the dissection, anhepatic, 10 min after reperfusion, and at the end of operation, as well as the dosage glucose infused, were compared between groups. The Mann-Whitney U test was used for statistical analysis; P < 0.05 was regarded as significant.

RESULTS

Seventy-two biliary atresia patients were grouped into group I (GI) and 8 GSD patients into group II (GII). The blood glucose levels of both groups increased after operation and remained hyperglycemic, around 100-300 mg/dl, until the end of the operation. The mean glucose amounts infused were 2.7 +/- 1.9 and 2.5 +/- 1.15 mg/kg/min for GI and GII, respectively.

CONCLUSION

No significant difference was found in the anesthetic management between groups. The only difference was that the GSD patients required continuous glucose supply the night before the operation, while biliary atresia patients did not.