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Comparison of Pituitary‐Adrenocortical Response to Hypoglycaemia and Surgery
Author(s) -
BlichertToft M.,
Christiansen C.,
Engquist A.,
Kehlet H.,
Lindholm J.,
Hummer L.,
Dinesen B.
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
acta anaesthesiologica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.738
H-Index - 107
eISSN - 1399-6576
pISSN - 0001-5172
DOI - 10.1111/j.1399-6576.1979.tb01428.x
Subject(s) - medicine , laparotomy , surgical stress , elective surgery , fight or flight response , stimulus (psychology) , surgery , anesthesia , endocrinology , psychology , biochemistry , chemistry , psychotherapist , gene
The hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenocortical (HPA) responses to the hypoglycaemic stimulus and to operation (laparotomy) are compared. The studies were carried out in eight patients who were subjected to insulin‐induced hypoglycaemia on the day before elective abdominal surgery. Plasma corticotrophin (ACTH) and plasma cortisol concentration increases were virtually identical during the two procedures, which suggests that hypoglycaemia and surgical trauma are comparable stress factors and that the hypoglycaemia test is reliable in predicting the HPA responses to major surgical trauma.