Effect of etomidate and dexamethasone on cortisol secretion in elderly patients undergoing general anesthesia / 中华麻醉学杂志

Objective:To evaluate the effects of dexamethasone and etomidate on cortisol secretion in elderly patients undergoing general anesthesia.Methods:One hundred and twenty-five elderly patients of either sex, aged 66-90 yr, of American Society of Anesthesiologists physical statusⅠ-Ⅲ, undergoing minor and medium elective surgeries under general anesthesia, were allocated into 4 groups using a random number table method: propofol and normal saline group (group PN, n=31), propofol and etomidate group (group PD, n=31), etomidate and normal saline group (group EN, n=33) and etomidate and dexamethasone group (group ED, n=30). In PN and EN groups, propofol (2 mg/kg) was used to induce and maintain anesthesia, and normal saline 2 ml and dexamethasone 0.1 mg/kg were intravenously injected, respectively, at 5 min before anesthesia induction.In PD and ED groups, etomidate (0.2 mg/kg) was used to induce and maintain anesthesia, and normal saline 2 ml and dexamethasone 0.1 mg/kg were intravenously injected, respectively, at 5 min before anesthesia induction.The serum cortisol concentrations were measured at 8: 00 after entering the operating room on the morning of operation (T 1), 1 h after the start of anesthesia (T 2), 2 h after the start of anesthesia (T 3), 8: 00 on the next day ofoperation (T 4) and 8: 00 on the 2nd day of operation (T 5). Blood glucose concentrations were measured at T 1-T 3, and the hypotension during the peri-anesthesia period, nausea and vomiting in post-anesthesia care unit, and nausea and vomiting scores were recorded at 24 h after operation. Results:A total of 122 patients completed the trial.Compared with PN group, the concentration of serum cortisol was significantly decreased at T 2-T 5, blood glucose concentrations were increased at T 2 and T 3 ( P<0.05), and no significant change was found in the incidence of hypotension, nausea and vomiting and nausea and vomiting scores in PD group ( P>0.05), and the concentration of serum cortisol was significantly decreased at T 2-T 4, the incidence of hypotension was decreased ( P<0.05), and no significant change was found in the blood glucose concentrations, incidence of nausea and vomiting or nausea and vomiting scores in EN group ( P>0.05). Compared with ED group, the serum cortisol concentration was significantly increased at T 2 and T 3, the incidence of hypotension was increased, the incidence of nausea and vomiting and nausea and vomiting scores were decreased ( P<0.05), and no significant change was found in the blood glucose concentrations in PD group ( P>0.05), and the serum cortisol concentration was significantly decreased at T 2 and T 3 and increased at T 4 and T 5, the serum cortisol concentration was decreased at T 2 and T 3, and no significant change was found in the incidence of hypotension, nausea and vomiting and nausea and vomiting scores in EN group ( P>0.05). Conclusions:Combination of etomidate and dexamethasone significantly enhances the duration and degree of inhibition of cortisol secretion in elderly patients than etomidate or dexamethasone alone.

Adrenal venous sampling in a patient with adrenal Cushing syndrome / Uso del muestreo venoso adrenal en un paciente con un síndrome de Cushing adrenal

The primary bilateral macronodular adrenal hyperplasia or the independent adrenocorticotropic hormone bilateral nodular adrenal hyperplasia is a rare cause hypercortisolism, its diagnosis is challenging and there is no clear way to decide the best therapeutic approach. Adrenal venous sampling is commonly used to distinguish the source of hormonal production in patients with primary hyperaldosteronism. It could be a useful tool in this context because it might provide information to guide the treatment. We report the case of a patient with ACTH independent Cushing syndrome in whom the use of adrenal venous sampling with some modifications radically modified the treatment and allowed the diagnosis of a macronodular adrenal hyperplasia.

La hiperplasia macro nodular bilateral o hiperplasia adrenal nodular bilateral independiente de la hormona adrenocorticotrópica es una de las causas menos frecuentes de hipercortisolismo, su diagnóstico supone un reto y no se tiene claridad de cuál es la mejor aproximación terapéutica. El muestreo venoso adrenal que frecuentemente se utiliza para hacer la distinción del sitio de producción hormonal en el hiperaldosteronismo primario podría ser una herramienta útil en este contexto ya que podría brindar información que pudiera guiar el tratamiento. Presentamos el caso de una paciente con síndrome de Cushing ACTH independiente en quien el uso del muestreo venoso adrenal con algunas modificaciones cambio de manera radical el tratamiento y permitió confirmar una hiperplasia adrenal macro nodular.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Adrenal Insufficiency / 한양의대학술지

Adrenal insufficiency is caused by either primary adrenal failure or by hypothalamic-pituitary impairment of the corticotropic axis which is predominantly due to long-term glucocorticoid treatment or by pituitary disease. Primary adrenal failure is a rare disease that is life-threatening when overlooked whle adrenal failure secondary to hypothalamo-pituitary disease is a common clinical problem that has serious impact on the quality of life. Recent data suggests that the health-related quality of life in many patients with adrenal insufficiency is more severely impaired than previously thought and that current hormone replacement strategies are insufficient to prevent increased morbidity and mortality due to the disease. Therefore, the optimization and careful monitoring of glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid replacement therapy remains one of the most challenging tasks in endocrinology. Leaving treatment aside, diagnosis of adrenal insufficiency is also challenging, because the main presenting symptoms such as fatigue, anorexia, and weight loss are non-specifically associated with many other common ailments, delaying a correct diagnosis. Some pitfalls in diagnostic work-up, particularly in the identification of secondary adrenal insufficiency, make the diagnosis even more difficult. Despite the difficulties, the complications associated with adrenal insufficiency make the rapid diagnosis and proper management of adrenal failure are important tasks for all physicians. We review here current standards for clinical assessment, diagnosis and treatment of adrenal insufficiency in light of recent research findings.