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Intra‐operative epidural blockade with local anaesthetics and postoperative protein breakdown associated with hip surgery in elderly patients
Author(s) -
Carli F.,
Emery P. W.
Publication year - 1990
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.1399-6576.1990.tb03082.x
Subject(s) - medicine , anesthesia , hip surgery , surgery , halothane , blockade , protein catabolism , orthopedic surgery , arthroplasty , amino acid , receptor , biochemistry , chemistry
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 < 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 <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.