Intra- and postoperative relative angiotensin II deficiency in patients undergoing elective major abdominal surgery

What Was Tested

The paper reports a study of Angiotensin II, published as an observational study.

This study was designed to investigate the perioperative kinetics and balance of both RAS axes around major abdominal surgery.

Why It Was Studied

The classical axis of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) makes an important contribution to blood pressure regulation under general anesthesia via the vasopressor angiotensin II (Ang II).

As part of the alternative RAS, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) modulates the pro-inflammatory and fibrotic effects of Ang II by processing it into the organ-protective Ang 1-7, which is cleaved to Ang 1-5 by ACE.

Who Took Part

The abstract describes 35 patients taking part.

By PubMed's age tags, the people studied were middle-aged adults and older adults, both men and women.

In this observational cohort study, 35 patients undergoing elective major abdominal surgery were included.

How the Study Was Run

Blood sampling was performed before and after induction of anesthesia, at 1 h after skin incision, at the end of surgery, and on postoperative days (POD) 1, 3, and 7.

The equilibrium concentrations of Ang I-IV, Ang 1-7, and Ang 1-5 in plasma were quantified using mass spectrometry.

The plasma protein levels of ACE and ACE2 were measured with ELISA.

What Was Measured

The subject headings attached to it are Angiotensin II, Renin-Angiotensin System, Elective Surgical Procedures, Abdomen, Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2, Postoperative Complications and Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A.

Author keywords: ACE2 (angiotensin converting enzyme 2), anesthesia, major abdominal surgery, perioperative period and renin-angiotensin aldosterone system.

What This Means in Plain Language

This is an observational study of Angiotensin II in 35 patients.

With fewer than 40 people, it is a small study, so it is better read as an early signal for further research than as a settled answer.

Results are reported in around 5 sentences of the abstract; we leave them to the paper itself rather than summarise them.

The publication is from 2024 (Frontiers in endocrinology), a journal based in Switzerland.

More context: the Angiotensin II compound page, all human trials.