title: Transient hyperglycemia during abdominal aortic surgery.
abstract: A 64-year-old man undergoing abdominal aortic aneurysm repair with no history of diabetes mellitus had an episode of marked hyperglycemia during surgery. The peak concentration of glucose in plasma was 43.2 mmol/L. This hyperglycemia responded immediately to administration of 30 units of regular insulin. Factors involved in the hyperglycemia included surgical stress, multiple medications, and the anesthetic used (isoflurane), but do not fully account for the magnitude of the increase in glucose. The data suggest that the patient may have had an underlying insulin deficiency, which was unmasked by the stress of surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 27599.
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Ellison
authors.forename: D T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Forman
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001012:Aorta, Abdominal / Q000601:surgery*; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D006943:Hyperglycemia / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology*; D007431:Intraoperative Complications; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose