[Postoperative insulin resistance of lipolysis and ketogenesis using the glucose clamp technic]

In seven healthy patients we studied the influence of various doses of insulin on the substrate concentration of free fatty acids and ketone bodies on the first day after major abdominal surgery by the glucose clamp technique. Insulin was infused at a rate of 0.2 and 1.0 mU/kg bw.min for ninety minutes and thus insulin concentrations were raised twice and seven times above the basal value. Already the minimal infusion of 0.2 mU insulin/kg.bw.min lead to a significant decrease of free fatty acids and ketone bodies. Our results show that even in postoperative stress the lipolysis of adipose tissue can be reduced by minimal insulin doses.