Effect of Hyperglycemia on the Length of Postoperative Hospital Stay / 대한마취과학회지

BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus is the most common endocrinopathy encountered in the perioperative period and has long been assumed to increase perioperative risk. However, when diabetes mellitus was segregated from old age and the complications of it, it was questioned that diabetes mellitus itself increased perioperative risk. In this study, we investigated the influence of hyperglycemia on the length of postoperative hospital stay. METHODS: We studied 100 patients undergone intra-abdominal operations with general anesthesia. These patients were divided into the hyperglycemic group (n = 20) with postoperative blood glucose level higher than 10 mM and the non-hyperglycemic group (n = 80) with glucose level lower than 10 mM and we investigated the length of postoperative hospital stay, serum electrolyte, serum chemistry, arterial blood gas values, and base excess by unmeasured anions. We also divided these patients into the diabetic patients group (n = 15) and the non-diabetic patients group (n = 85) and compared the same variables. RESULTS: The length of postoperative hospital stay was significantly prolonged in the hyperglycemic group (20.9 +/- 9.0 days) compared with the non-hyperglycemic group (16.2 +/-8.5 days), and the cumulative postoperative hospital stay curves based on Kaplan-Meier method also showed significant difference between the two groups. When we compared the length of postoperative hospital stay between the diabetic and the non-diabetic patients, there was no significant difference. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that hyperglycemia prolonged the length of postoperative hospital stay. This finding suggests that the patient's glucose level should be monitored and controlled within an adequate range perioperatively.

Influence of Unmeasured Anions Identified by Stewart Principle on the Length of Postoperative Hospital Stay / 대한구급학회지

BACKGROUND: Calculation of the base excess (BE) and the anion gap (AG) is commonly used to identify the presence and to analyze the cause of metabolic acidosis in critically ill patients. However, the calculation of BE assumes normal water content, electrolytes, and albumin, changes in these values will change the calculated BE. Calculation of the AG does not control for changes in albumin and cannot distinguish plasma concentration changes of negatively charged protein (albumin) from that of other anions. Based on Stewart's physicochemical principles, Gilfix et al developed equations to calculate the BE caused by unmeasured anions (BEua) taking into account changes in free water, chloride, albumin, and PCO2 that theoretically should reflect metabolic changes better than the less complete biochemical measurements. This study was designed to evaluate the influence of BEua and other variables on the length of postoperative hospital stay. METHODS: The data from 100 consecutive patients were collected prospectively in patients who underwent intra-abdominal operations under general anesthesia and admitted to the adult intensive care unit. All samples were routine samples taken from arterial lines postoperatively and analyzed for arterial blood gas, plasma electrolytes, inorganic phosphates and albumin concentrations. BEua was calculated from the equations developed by Gilfix et al. We also calculated AGNa, K (Na++K+-Cl--HCO3-) and AGNa (Na+-Cl--HCO3-). Correlations between the length of postoperative hospital stay and these variables were studied using linear regression analysis. RESULTS: BEua and BE were significantly correlated with the length of ICU stay (r=0.295, p<0.01 and r=0.249, p<0.05). Neither AGNa, K nor AGNa was correlated with the length of ICU stay. Significant correlation was observed between the length of postoperative hospital stay and BEua (r=0.316, p<0.01), BE (r=0.288, p<0.01), AGNa, K (r=0.284, p<0.01), and AGNa (r=0.263, p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In this study BEua was significantly correlated with the length of ICU stay and postoperative hospital stay compared with other variables. This finding suggests that BEua may be used as a more reliable predictor of outcome in ICU patients.