Background: Intraoperative amino acid infusion can attenuate the decrease in core temperature, but the metabolic effects are uncertain.
Methods: Thirty-six healthy mongrel dogs undergoing ileectomy under general anesthesia were infused intraoperatively with normal saline or 18 compound amino acids at 6, 12, and 24 kJ·kg⁻¹·h⁻¹ (NS, 6-, 12-, and 24-kJ groups) and studied until 24 h after the operation. Blood glucose, plasma insulin, free fatty acids, and triglyceride concentrations were determined at 7 defined time points. Muscle aminograms, urinary urea, and 3-methylhistidine excretions were measured before and after the operation.
Results: Blood glucose and plasma insulin increased amino acid dose dependently during the operation and in the early period after the operation. Free fatty acids were significantly lower in the 12- and 24-kJ groups compared with the NS group at the end of the operation. The negative nitrogen balance was alleviated dose dependently in the amino acid groups on operation day. The urinary 3-methylhistidine decreased significantly during the first 24 h after the operation in the 24-kJ group, while it increased in the other groups with the largest increase in the NS group. Basic, branched-chain, and aromatic amino acids in the vastus lateralis muscle increased dose dependently at the end of the operation in the amino acid groups.
Conclusion: Intraoperative amino acid infusion has the dose-dependent effects of increasing blood glucose, inhibiting fat mobilization and muscle protein breakdown.