Factors associated with hyperglycemia and low insulin levels in children undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass who received a single high dose of methylprednisolone

OBJECTIVES: Administering steroids before cardiopulmonary bypass in pediatric heart surgery modulates systemic inflammatory response syndrome and improves postoperative recovery. However, the use of steroids aggravates hyperglycemia, which is associated with a poor prognosis. Adult patients with systemic inflammatory response syndrome usually evolve with hyperglycemia and high insulin levels, whereas >;90% of pediatric patients exhibit hyperglycemia and low insulin levels. This study aims to determine: A) the metabolic and inflammatory factors that are associated with hyperglycemia and low insulin levels in children who underwent cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass and who received a single high dose of methylprednisolone and B) the best predictors of insulin variation using a mathematical model. METHODS: This preliminary study recruited 20 children who underwent heart surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass and received methylprednisolone (30 mg/kg) immediately after anesthesia. Among the 20 patients initially recruited, one was excluded because of the absence of hyperglycemia and lower insulin levels after surgery. However, these abnormalities were confirmed in the remaining 19 children. The C-peptide, CRP, IL-6, and adrenomedullin levels were measured before surgery, immediately after cardiopulmonary bypass, and on the first, second, and third days after cardiac surgery. RESULTS: IL-6, CRP, and adrenomedullin increments were observed, whereas the C-peptide levels remained within reference intervals. CONCLUSION: The multiple regression model demonstrated that in addition to age and glycemia (two well-known factors that are directly involved in glucose metabolism), adrenomedullin and IL-6 levels were independent factors associated with lower insulin concentrations. These four parameters were responsible for 64.7% of the observed insulin variances. In addition, the fact that C-peptide levels did not fall together with insulin could have grounded the medical decision not to administer insulin to patients

Evaluation of procalcitonin and C reactive protein as a sepsis marker in pediatric patients

Sepse bacteriana é a maior causa de morbimortalidade na faixa etária pediátrica e neonatal. A detecção precoce do quadro séptico é difícil, devido os sinais iniciais da doença serem inespecíficos. A possibilidade da existência de exame laboratorial capaz de identificar precocemente quadros sépticos melhoraria o prognóstico desses pacientes. Várias proteínas de fase aguda foram estudadas como marcadores de infecção sendo a proteína C reativa (PCR) a mais utilizada. A procalcitonina (PCT), um pró-hormônio, encontra-se elevado precocemente em quadros sépticos em crianças e adultos. Estudo prospectivo com 14 crianças submetidas à cirurgia cardíaca com circulação extra-corpórea (CEC), com dosagens seriadas de procalcitonina e proteína C reativa, serviram como modelo de resposta inflamatória sistêmica sem infecção com dosagens antes da CEC, após a CEC no primeiro, segundo e terceiro dia após cirurgia, enquanto 14 crianças com sepse/choque séptico dosagens seriadas de PCT e PCR foram obtidas sequencialmente antes do tratamento antibioticoterápico e a cada dia até o terceiro dia. Em crianças sépticas a PCT demonstrou ser superior a PCR como marcador de sepse assim como para diferenciar quadros inflamatórios sistêmicos.Bacterial sepsis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in neonates and children. Early detection of bacterial sepsis is difficult because the first signs of this disease may be minimal or nonspecific. The availability of a laboratory test to accurately and rapidly identify septic neonates and children would be of great value in improving the outcome of these patients. Several acute-phase proteins have been used for the diagnosis of bacterial sepsis and C reactive protein (CRP) is the usual marker. It has been reported that the concentration of procalcitonin (PCT), a pro-hormone, is markedly higher in children and adults with sepsis. In a prospective study, 14 children were enrolled after cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), these group represent the non infected children with inflammatory response. Blood samples were obtained before CPB, after CPB, on the first, second and third day after surgery. Another group with 14 children with sepsis or septic shock were enrolled, and blood samples were obtained before antibiotic start, on the first, second and third days. In septic children PCT concentration is a better diagnostic marker of sepsis and to differentiate inflammatory response than CRP

Adrenomedullin concentration and relationship with pituitayadrenal axis and glicemic control in children after cardiopulmonary bypass

Introdução: Adrenomedulina, peptídeo recentemente identificado, atua como mediador em diversos estados fisiológicos e patológicos, sendo expresso em inúmeros tecidos. Níveis elevados de adrenomedulina foram observados em quadros inflamatórios e sépticos, além de atividade inibitória da adrenomedulina sobre a liberação de insulina, o que poderia contribuir para a gênese e manutenção dos quadros hipeglicêmicos, situação comum em pacientes pediátricos internados em unidades de terapia intensiva, tendo sido comprovado que o controle glicêmico melhora o prognóstico nesses pacientes. O objetivo do estudo foi relacionar as concentrações de adrenomedulina com alterações de hormônios do eixo hipófise-adrenal e o controle glicêmico de crianças submetidas à cirurgia cardíaca com circulação extracorpórea (CEC) representando modelo de síndrome da resposta inflamatória sistêmica. Material e métodos: Foram incluídas 20 crianças com idade entre 11-84 meses submetidas à cirurgia cardíaca com CEC. Foram avaliadas concentrações sangüíneas de glicose, insulina, peptídeo-C, cortisol, ACTH, interleucina-6 e adrenomedulina nos tempos pré-CEC, pós-CEC, 1ºPO, 2ºPO e 3ºPO. Os resultados foram expressos em medianas e inter-quartis. Todas crianças receberam antibioticoterapia profilática (Cefuroxima 150mg/kg) e metilprednisolona (30mg/kg) na indução anestésica. Resultados: Adrenomedulina aumentou de 1,13 ng/mL (0.83 1.81) pré- CEC a 3,28 ng/mL (1.82 4.25) no 1ºPO (p=0,0005). A insulina e o peptídeo-C apresentaram queda do tempo pré-CEC ao 1ºPO: 10,9 U/mL (10.5 13.6) a 2,88 U/mL (1.68 3.46) (p= 0,0001) e 1,44 (0.93 2.08) a 0.89 ng/mL (0.58 2.06) (p=0,076), respectivamente. Houve aumento da glicemia de 86,5 mg/dL (67 88) pré-CEC a 169 mg/dL (153 201) no 1ºPO (p=0,0001). Não houve alterações significativas das concentrações de cortisol e ACTH. Após a CEC todas as concentrações de interleucina-6 encontravam-se elevadas retornando aos valores normais no 3ºPO. Houve correlação negativa entre as concentrações de peptídeo-C e de adrenomedulina no 1ºPO (R= - 0,70 - p< 0,0009). Conclusão: os resultados deste estudo indicam que a adrenomedulina possa ter contribuído para a gênese e manutenção da hiperglicemia em pacientes pediátricos com SRIS, agindo por intermédio da redução das concentrações de insulina e do peptídeo-CBackground: Adrenomedullin (AM), a recently identified vasoactive peptide, is expressed in a large number of tissues and was found to be increased in some pathophysiologic conditions such as sepsis and Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS). It has been shown that AM inhibits insulin secretion by means of a direct action on pancreatic -cells thus contributing to the genesis and sustaining of hypeglicemia, a common condition in critically ill pediatric patients. Therefore, the strict control of glucose concentrations has proved beneficial and associated to decrement of morbimortality rates in adults and children. The aim of the present study was to monitor serum adrenomedullin concentration in parallel with interleukin-6, plasma glucose, insulin and C-peptide, as well as ACTH and cortisol in pediatric patients submitted to cardiac surgery and cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) representing a SIRS model. Methods: Twenty children aged 11-84 months who underwent cardiac surgery requiring cardiopulmonary bypass were prospective studied. Blood glucose, insulin, C-peptide, adrenocorticotropic hormone, cortisol, interleukin- 6 and AM were measured immediately before cardiopulmonary bypass (BCPB), immediately after CPB, on the first (POD1), second (POD2) and third days (POD3) after surgery. Data were expressed by median values and inter quartile range. All children received profilatic antibiotic (cefuroxime 150mg/kg) and methylprednisolone (30mg/kg) during induction of anesthesia. Results: Adrenomedullin increased from 1.13 ng/mL (0.83 1.81) BCPB to 3.28 ng/mL (1.82 4.25) in POD1 (p=0.0005). Insulin dropped from 10.9 U/mL (10.5 13.6) BCPB to 2.88 U/mL (1.68 3.46) in POD1 (p=0.0000). C-peptide decreased from 1.44 (0.93 2.08) BCPB to 0.89 ng/mL (0.58 2.06) in POD1 (p=0.076). Glucose increased from 86.5 mg/dL (67 88) BCPB to 169 mg/dL (153 201) in POD1 (p=0.0000). No significant changes were observed in ACTH and cortisol levels. After CPB, IL-6 concentrations of all patients were significantly increased and returned to basal values in POD3 (p=0.0009). There was a negative correlation between C-peptide an adrenomedullin in POD1 (R= - 0.70 - p< 0.0009). Conclusion: Our results indicate that adrenomedullin might be partly responsible for the genesis and sustaining of hyperglycemia in pediatric SIRS patients, by means of the decrement of insulin and C- peptide level

The value of procalcitonin in diagnosis of bacterial infection in patients submitted to cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass

Objective: To evaluate serum procalcitonin as a marker of infectionin post-surgical cardiac patients with cardiopulmonary bypass.Methods: To review the medical literature available (Medline,LILACS, SciELO, Ovid, Cochrane Library). Conclusions: Procalcitoninhas high specificity as compared to other infectious markers todistinguish infection from inflammatory process in patients aftercardiopulmonary bypass. However prospective studies withpatients submitted to cardiac surgery with no cardiopulmonarybypass should be conducted

The use of recombinant factor VIIa in a pediatric septic shock patient with disseminated intravascular coagulation

This is a report on a pediatric patient with septic shock and disseminated intravascular coagulation, who developed life-threatening bleeding which was successfully treated with recombinant factor VIIa