Blood-glucose concentrations during anaesthesia in children. Effects of starvation and perioperative fluid therapy.

Blood glucose concentration, pH and standard bicarbonate concentration were measured in 70 anaesthetized children aged between 2 weeks and 22 months before and following surgery. The duration of starvation varied between 4 and 14 h (mean 5.8 h). The lowest blood-glucose concentration before operation was 2.9 mmol litre-1 (53 mg dl-1). Preoperative blood-glucose concentrations were not influenced by the age or weight of the child, or the duration of starvation. During operation the children received either a balanced Ringer acetate solution (group A) or a Ringer glucose solution containing 2.5% glucose (group B). In these patients the preoperative starvation did not result in hypoglycaemia and, during surgery, increases in blood-glucose concentration were found even in those children receiving a glucose-free fluid regimen.