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Alterations in carbohydrate metabolism in critically ill cats
Author(s) -
Chan Daniel L.,
Freeman Lisa M.,
Rozanski Elizabeth A.,
Rush John E.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
journal of veterinary emergency and critical care
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.886
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1476-4431
pISSN - 1479-3261
DOI - 10.1111/j.1476-4431.2005.00150.x
Subject(s) - cats , medicine , critically ill , intensive care unit , insulin , glucagon , carbohydrate metabolism , epinephrine , intensive care , hypoglycemia , endocrinology , venous blood , anesthesia , intensive care medicine
Objective: To characterize the alterations in carbohydrate metabolism as they relate to the development of hyperglycemia in critically ill cats. Design: Prospective, observational, controlled study. Setting: Intensive care unit at a university veterinary teaching hospital. Animals: Twenty‐six non‐diabetic cats admitted into the intensive care unit for a variety of diseases and 21 healthy control cats. Interventions: Blood samples were obtained from critically ill cats upon admission to the intensive care unit. Blood was similarly obtained from control cats. Measurements and main results: For all cats, venous blood glucose, lactate, cortisol, insulin, glucagon, epinephrine, norepinephrine, and non‐esterified fatty acid concentrations were determined and compared between the 2 groups of cats. Compared with controls, critically ill cats had significantly higher median concentrations of glucose [183 (range 51–321) mg/dL versus 110 (91–165) mg/dL; P <0.001], lactate [2.5 (0.6–11.1) mmol/L versus 1.8 (0.4–4.1) mmol/L; P =0.01], cortisol [7.8 (0.3–53.7) μg/dL versus 4.4 (1.5–8.3) μg/dL; P =0.005], glucagon [186 (46–3128) pg/mL versus 97 (30–252) pg/mL; P =0.001], and norepinephrine [1.5 (0.2–16.4) pg/mL versus 0.63 (0.21–3.61) pg/mL; P =0.003]. Compared with controls, critically ill cats also had a significantly lower median plasma insulin concentration [9 (2–52) μU/mL versus 17 (3–35) μU/mL; P =0.04]. The presence or degree of hyperglycemia in critically ill cats was not related to any single measured variable. Conclusions: Similar to critically ill human patients, alterations in carbohydrate metabolism are present in critically ill cats and likely contribute to the hyperglycemia commonly observed in this population.