A double-blind comparative study of glucolyte-2 with conventional infusion in postoperative surgical and trauma patients.

To investigate the effectiveness of a new electrolyte solution, Glucolyte-2, which contains 7.5 per cent glucose, electrolytes, and a trace element (zinc), 12 postoperative surgical and 21 trauma patients who were unable to receive enteral feeding were given either Glucolyte-2 or the conventional infusion containing 5 per cent glucose and electrolytes as a control in a double-blind fashion. The zinc balance in surgical patients given Glucolyte-2 was 2.648 +/- 864 micrograms/day, whereas that in patients given the conventional infusion was -2,972 +/- 1,385 micrograms/day (mean +/- S.E.M.). The positive zinc balance after Glucolyte-2 administration was significantly higher than that after the conventional infusion (p less than 0.001). Similarly, a positive zinc balance (3,464 +/- 422 micrograms/day) was obtained in trauma patients given Glucolyte-2, while in trauma patients given the conventional infusion, the zinc balance was negative (-1,737 +/- 491 micrograms/day), which was significantly lower (p less than 0.05). Magnesium and phosphate balances were negative in surgical and trauma patients in both infusion groups. However, the balance in patients given Glucolyte-2 was better than in those patients given the conventional infusion. The differences of the balance for magnesium in surgical patients and trauma patients were significant (p less than 0.001 and p less than 0.01, respectively). The differences of the balance for phosphate in surgical and trauma patients were also significant (p less than 0.01). It is indicated that the infusion of Glucolyte-2 containing zinc and other electrolytes will be more favorable than the conventional infusion in both surgical and trauma patients.