Epidural analgesia enhances the postoperative anabolic effect of amino acids in diabetes mellitus type 2 patients undergoing colon surgery

Abstract

Background: It has been suggested that diabetes mellitus type 2 amplifies the endocrine-metabolic stress response to surgery, and patients become more catabolic during the postoperative period. The aim of this study, conducted in patients with diabetes mellitus type 2 scheduled to undergo elective colorectal surgery, was to determine whether the anabolic effects of intravenous amino acids are more pronounced when receiving perioperative epidural analgesia compared with patient-controlled analgesia with intravenous morphine.

Methods: Twelve patients were randomly assigned to receive either epidural analgesia or patient-controlled analgesia with intravenous morphine for perioperative pain control. Protein and glucose kinetics were measured before surgery and on the second postoperative day using L-[1-C]leucine and [6,6H2]glucose infusion during a fasted and a fed (amino acid infusion) state.

Results: Preoperative parameters for glucose and protein kinetics were comparable in the fasted state for both groups. Postoperative amino acid infusion increased glucose concentration slightly (P = 0.124) and suppressed the endogenous rate of appearance of glucose (P < 0.0001) and glucose clearance (P < 0.0001) regardless of analgesia technique. The rate of appearance of leucine (P = 0.002), leucine oxidation (P < 0.0001), and protein synthesis (P = 0.026) increased, whereas net protein breakdown was decreased (P = 0.002), leading to a positive protein balance (P < 0.0001) in both groups. The increase in protein balance was greater in the epidural group compared with the patient-controlled analgesia group (P = 0.027).

Conclusion: Diabetic patients receiving an amino acid infusion after surgery achieved a positive protein balance without hyperglycemia. This anabolic effect was greater in patients receiving epidural analgesia compared with patient-controlled analgesia with intravenous morphine.