Influence of abdominal surgical trauma and intra-operative infusion of glucose on splanchnic glucose metabolism in man.

Abdominal surgery increases blood glucose concentration and peripheral release and splanchnic uptake of gluconeogenic substrates, including alanine. During trauma or sepsis, infusion of glucose fails to depress alanine conversion to glucose. The effect of intra-operative glucose infusion on splanchnic metabolism was examined in the present study. In eight patients undergoing elective cholecystectomy, splanchnic glucose metabolism was investigated before, during and immediately after surgery. Glucose was infused at a constant rate of 1 mmol/min. Splanchnic blood flow and arterio-hepatic venous differences of oxygen, glucose, lactate, glycerol, 3-hydroxybutyrate and alanine were measured. Eight other patients, who received saline instead of glucose, served as a control group. Infusion of glucose resulted in total inhibition of splanchnic glucose release before as well as during and immediately after surgery. This was observed, even before surgery, at an arterial glucose level which was lower than that in the control group at the end of and immediately after surgery, at which no decrease of the splanchnic glucose release was recorded. changes in neuronal and hormonal factors due to the surgical trauma are considered responsible for this difference in glucose homeostasis. Splanchnic alanine uptake increased during surgery in both groups, but tended to be somewhat lower in the glucose group. The arterial glycerol concentration and splanchnic uptake, as well as the arterial concentration and splanchnic release of 3-hydroxybutyrate, were reduced. It is concluded that an intravenous infusion of glucose at the rate of 1 mmol/min during abdominal surgery (a) increases the arterial blood glucose level and abolishes splanchnic glucose release, (b) reduces, but does not totally prevent the increase in splanchnic uptake of gluconeogenic substrates, and (c) diminishes lipolysis and the formation of 3-hydroxybutyrate.