Pediatric anesthesia & critical care
Serum Glucose and Ketone Concentrations in Fasted Children Aged 6–12 Months Having Elective Surgery
Authors' conclusion
The study showed that for young children undergoing elective surgery, there is a risk of hypoglycemia and ketosis.
Study context
- Population
- Children aged 6–12 months having elective surgery, three tertiary pediatric hospitals in Australia, 2019–2021
- Participants
- 158 children · 3 tertiary pediatric hospitals
- Exposure
- Royal Children's Hospital (RCH) vs Queensland hospitals
- Outcome
- Incidence of hypoglycemia (glucose < 3.0 mmol/L) and ketosis (ketones > 0.6 mmol/L)
Methodological detailsmulticentre
- Multicentre
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Hypoglycemia and ketosis
Hypoglycemia at induction
6
3.8%
Hypoglycemia at end of case
1
Ketotic at induction
54
34.6%
Ketotic at end of procedure
76
48.7%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Hypoglycemia at induction, by state fasting guidelines · no evidence for a difference
RR 1.13
| Outcome | RCH | Queensland hospitals | RR (95% CI) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ketosis at induction, by state fasting guidelinesNo evidence for a difference | 32% | 47.4% | 0.76 (0.45–1.17) | P = 0.22 | |
| 0.512Relative risk (log scale) |
Mean, mmol/L
| Outcome | RCH | Queensland hospitals | Differences in mean (95% CI) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Serum glucose concentration · inductionNo evidence for a difference | 4.6 (SD 0.84) | 4.7 (SD 0.83) | −0.07 (−0.35 to 0.20) | P = 0.60 | |
| −0.4−0.200.20.4Difference (linear scale) |
| Outcome | RCH | Queensland hospitals |
|---|---|---|
| Ketone concentration · induction | median 0.4 (IQR 0.2,0.7) | median 0.6 (IQR 0.3,0.9) mmol/L |
Ketone concentration · induction
- Evidence for a difference, clinically insignificant
Milk fasting time
- Increasing milk fasting times increases ketone concentrations and decreases serum glucose concentrations
Original publication
Serum Glucose and Ketone Concentrations in Fasted Children Aged 6–12 Months Having Elective Surgery. Paediatr Anaesth. Published 30 March 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →