[A study on carbohydrate metabolism in surgical patients with special reference to changes of plasma glucagon levels]

The effect of surgery on plasma glucagon levels was studied in forty patients divided into three groups (major, moderate and minor stress groups) according to the severity of surgical stress. In the major and the moderate stress groups, significant increases of plasma glucagon levels were noted during surgery. In these groups, plasma glucagon levels also increased during the first to fourth postoperative days. There seemed to be a correlation between the amount of the increase and the severity of surgical stress. In the minor stress groups, no significant postoperative increase of plasma glucagon levels was noted. On the second postoperative day, the plasma glucagon levels of the moderate stress group were decreased by intravenous administration of several kinds of sugars such as glucose, fructose, xylitol, sorbitol and maltose. The most marked decrease was seen during glucose infusion. And the decreases were continued for two hours after infusion of fructose and maltose, respectively. The results indicate that the severity of surgical stress had a direct effect on the amount of intra- and postoperative increases of plasma glucagon levels. The mechanism of hyperglucagonaemia in surgical patients was also discussed.