Effect of anaesthesia and surgery on blood sugar and carbohydrate tolerance in African children.

The effect of pre-operative starvation, anaesthesia and surgery on blood sugar levels and the handling of carbohydrate load during operation were studied in 28 Nigerian children between 2 months and 15 years of age. (1) Age and body weight were important factors influencing the relationship between duration of pre-operative fast and the pre-induction blood sugar level in children. Hypoglycaemic values occurred in 7 per cent of the subjects studied although none was clinically hypoglycaemic. (2) Halothane anaesthesia alone did not affect blood sugar levels but relaxant anaesthesia in this study caused significant rise of blood sugar. (3) There was a marked hyperglycaemic response to surgery and handling of glucose load during operation was significantly poorer than before operation.