1999 Volume 187 Issue 1 Pages 49-58
Many diabetics may have a high risk involving the cardiovascular system. In an attempt to predict the intraoperative risks of diabetics during anesthesia, we evaluated retrospectively the relationship among the biochemical assay or autonomic nerve function obtained as parts of the preoperative examination, and the blood pressure changes relating to the stimulation of intubation and extubation for anesthesia. In 40 diabetic surgical patients examined the biochemical assay (HbA1c, fructosamine level and blood glucose level) beforehand, the autonomic nerve function was quantified preoperatively by analysis of ECG R-R variability recorded in supine and subsequent standing position using an HRV analyzer, and some parameters of autonomic nerve function especially responsive sympathetic nerve activities were obtained. We assessed the correlation with systolic blood pressure changes in these cases at intubation for general anesthesia comparing to similar conditioned 40 non-diabetics. A diabetics with low vagal activity became larger systolic blood pressure afterdrop at tracheal intubation for anesthesia (r=0.513, p<0.001). Otherwise the blood pressure afterdrop at extubation became larger in a non-diabetics with high sympathetic activity (r=0.502, p<0.001). The preoperative fructosamine concentration in diabetics correlated positively with the responsive sympathetic nerve irritability index; “mRR(sup)-RRmin(std)” (r=0.432, p<0.05) and the responsive sympathetic nerve excitability index; “mRR(sup-std)” (r=0.448, p<0.05). However HbA1c had no correlation with these parameters of autonomic nerve function and blood pressure rise at tracheal intubation. Because of above correlation with blood pressure rise at intubation for anesthesia induction, the preoperative fructosamine examination and the responsive sympathetic nerve function test must be useful preoperative examination for detection of the unexpected heart events of diabetic patients during operation.
