Abstract
Summary and Conclusions
A study of plasma growth hormone and glucose, and body temperature, was conducted in six infants undergoing deep hypothermic cardiovascular surgery. Pronounced hyperglycemia occurred during hypothermia when the infants received exogenous glucose, confirming earlier reports of diminished plasma glucose utilization at low body temperatures. Although growth hormone levels were high during ether anesthesia, they fell or changed little with cooling, and did not appear related to core temperature or to plasma glucose concentration. These findings indicate that changes in growth hormone levels in operated hypothermic infants did not relate to cold stress, alterations in plasma glucose concentration, or diminished glucose utilization.
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