Effect of a single intraoperative dose of dexamethasone on glycaemic profile in postoperative patients - A double-blind randomised controlled study

Abstract

Background and Aims: The effect of a single intraoperative dose of steroids on perioperative blood sugar levels is uncertain. We hypothesised that a single dose of dexamethasone would not unfavourably alter the glucose levels of non-diabetic patients. This study aimed to evaluate the post-operative glycaemic profile after a single dose of intraoperative dexamethasone in non-diabetic patients. The presence of post-operative nausea and vomiting (PONV), pain, surgical site infection (SSI) and length of hospital stay were also evaluated. Methods: This randomised, double-blind, controlled study was done by recruiting 150 non-diabetic adult patients of the American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I/II undergoing elective surgery. Patients in the study group were administered a single dose of dexamethasone (0.15 mg/kg). Blood glucose levels were assessed at various time points for up to 72 hours post-operatively using point-of-care testing. Secondary outcomes such as PONV, pain, fever and SSI were also documented. Data were compared and analysed using Student’s t-test, Chi-square test, Mann-Whitney test and analysis of variance test. Results: There was an earlier, higher and prolonged elevation in blood glucose levels in patients receiving dexamethasone. The mean (standard deviation) of fasting/postprandial blood sugars on the first, second and third postoperative days respectively was significantly higher in the study group 98.04 (21.89)/139.16 (20.59), 96.64 (19.20)/138.17 (18.05), 96.60 (17.40)/138.32 (15.10) mg/dl as compared to control group 86.9 6 (10.28)/128.95 (10.53), 88.81 (8.87)/131.97 (9.68), 88.16 (8.50)/130.88 (9.48) mg/dl. About 10.7% of the patients who received dexamethasone had blood glucose levels greater than 180 mg/dl. There were no significant differences in the secondary outcomes. Conclusion: Even a single dose of dexamethasone in non-diabetic adults causes significant and prolonged postoperative hyperglycaemia.

Risk of bias in published randomised controlled trials

“…The demographic data of the 27 included articles are given in Table 1 . [ 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 ] Overall, 13 out of 27 were judged as having a low risk of bias. [ 5 6 9 10 12 15 16 20 21 22 23 24 27 ] In contrast, 6 out of 27 had a high risk of bias,[ 4 13 14 25 28 30 ] and 8 out of 27 had some concerns regarding biases.…”

“…[ 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 ] Overall, 13 out of 27 were judged as having a low risk of bias. [ 5 6 9 10 12 15 16 20 21 22 23 24 27 ] In contrast, 6 out of 27 had a high risk of bias,[ 4 13 14 25 28 30 ] and 8 out of 27 had some concerns regarding biases. [ 7 8 11 17 18 19 26 29 ] In domain 1, that is, bias arising from the randomisation process, 3 out of 27 had some concerns regarding biases.…”

“…[ 25 28 30 ] Rest of the trials were judged as having a low risk of bias. [ 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 26 27 29 ] In domain 2, that is, bias due to deviations from intended interventions, 7 out of 27 had some concerns regarding biases. [ 5 8 11 13 14 18 29 ] and the remaining trials were judged as having a low risk of bias.…”

“…[ 5 8 11 13 14 18 29 ] and the remaining trials were judged as having a low risk of bias. [ 4 6 7 9 10 12 15 16 17 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 30 ] In domain 3, that is, bias due to missing outcome data, all the were considered as having a low risk of bias. [ 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 ] In domain 4, that is, bias in the measurement of the outcome, 2 out of 27 had a high risk of bias,[ 5 28 ] 6 out of 27 had some concerns regarding the risk of bias,[ 7 17 19 25 26 30 ] and the remaining trials were judged as having a low risk of bias.…”

The battle against perioperative glycaemic control: Hard to win?

“…It was found that even a single dose of dexamethasone in non-diabetic adults causes statistically significant and higher, earlier and prolonged postoperative hyperglycaemia up to 72 hours. [ 18 ]…”