Intra‐operative epidural blockade with local anaesthetics and postoperative protein breakdown associated with hip surgery in elderly patients
- 1 May 1990
- journal article
- Published by Wiley in Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica
- Vol. 34 (4), 263-266
- https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1399-6576.1990.tb03082.x
Abstract
The effect of epidural anaesthesia of limited duration on postoperative protein breakdown was studied in elderly patients undergoing hip arthroplasty. Two groups of six patients each were studied. One group with halothane (C) and one with an epidural block, T8-S4, (E) as part of their general anaesthetic for surgery. The urinary excretion of urea nitrogen and 3-methylhistidine (3-MeH), an indicator of muscle protein breakdown, increased significantly in both groups after surgery, by the same amount (P less than 0.05). The total concentration of plasma and muscle aminoacids decreased after surgery in both groups. Muscle glutamine was decreased by 50% after surgery on the fourth postoperative day in both groups (P less than 0.05). Therefore epidural anaesthesia, limited to the period of surgery, did not attenuate the loss of body proteins which occurred during the postoperative period.Keywords
This publication has 15 references indexed in Scilit:
- Fasting, Refeeding and Diabetes Modulate Free Amino Acid Concentrations in the Rat Exocrine PancreasPancreas, 1988
- Role of counterregulatory hormones in the catabolic response to stress.JCI Insight, 1984
- Combined Hormonal Infusion Simulates the Metabolic Response to InjuryAnnals of Surgery, 1984
- The fluorometric determination of 3-methylhistidine in meat and meat productsJournal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 1982
- Influence of Epidural Analgesia on Postoperative Changes in Various Serum Enzyme Patterns and Serum BilirubinActa Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica, 1981
- Insulin to Inhibit Protein Catabolism after InjuryThe New England Journal of Medicine, 1979
- Epidural analgesia improves postoperative nitrogen balance.BMJ, 1978
- Influence of the Postoperative State on the Intracellular Free Amino Acids in Human Muscle TissueAnnals of Surgery, 1975
- The Effects of Surgery on the Blood Levels and Metabolism and 17-Hydroxycorticosteroids in Man12JCI Insight, 1954