• Sascha C A T Verbruggen, Carlijn T I de Betue, Henk Schierbeek, Shaji Chacko, Leon N A van Adrichem, Jennifer Verhoeven, Johannes B van Goudoever, and Koen F M Joosten.
• Department of Pediatrics, Erasmus MC - Sophia Children's Hospital, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
• Clin Nutr. 2011 Dec 1;30(6):786-92.

Background & AimsTo investigate the effects of two different glucose infusions on glucose homeostasis and amino acid metabolism in post-surgical children.MethodsThis randomized crossover study evaluated glucose and amino acid metabolism in eight children (age 9.8 ± 1.9 months, weight 9.5 ± 1.1 kg) admitted to a pediatric intensive care unit in a tertiary university hospital after surgical correction for non-syndromal craniosynostosis. Patients were randomized to receive low (LG; 2.5 mg kg(-1) min(-1)) and standard (SG; 5.0 mg kg(-1) min(-1)) glucose infusion in a crossover setting. After a bolus (4 g kg(-1)) of deuterium oxide, we conducted a primed, constant, 8 h tracer infusion with [6,6-²H₂]Glucose, [1-¹³C]Leucine, [ring-²H₅]Phenylalanine and [3,3-²H₂]Tyrosine.ResultsSG resulted in hyperglycemia (defined as > 6.1 mmol L(-1)), while during LG plasma glucose levels were normoglycemic (5.9 ± 0.6 vs. 7.5 ± 1.7 mmol L(-1); LG vs. SG respectively, p = 0.02). Hypoglycemia did not occur during LG infusion. Endogenous glucose production was not fully suppressed during the hyperglycemic state under SG and increased with reduced glucose infusion (2.6 ± 1.5 vs. 1.1 ± 1.4 mg kg(-1) min(-1); LG vs. SG; p = 0.05). Whole body protein balance derived from leucine and phenylalanine kinetics was slightly negative but not further affected with a decrease in glucose infusion.ConclusionsThe current recommended glucose infusion induces hyperglycemia in post-surgical children. A reduced glucose infusion safely reduced high glucose levels, while children were capable to sustain normoglycemia with increased endogenous glucose production. The reduced glucose infusion did not exacerbate the mild catabolic state in which the patients were.2011 Elsevier Ltd and European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. All rights reserved.

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