[The necessity for perioperative cortisol substitution. Spontaneous and stimulated ACTH and cortisol secretion during unilateral adrenalectomy for renal cell carcinoma]

What Was Tested

This clinical trial paper looks at ACTH (Corticotropin).

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate if routine Cs supplementation is justified and necessary in patients undergoing adrenalectomy during nephrectomy for renal-cell cancer.

Why It Was Studied

Impaired adrenal function during perioperative stress carries the risk of acute cortisol (Cs) deficiency (Addisonian crisis), which may be critical without Cs supplementation.

Thus, with evidence of dysfunction of the adrenal glands perioperative substitution is indicated.

Who Took Part

The age groups tagged for this paper are middle-aged adults, both men and women.

Ten consecutive patients with renal-cell cancer (5 male, 5 female; age 58 +/- 10 years; ASA class I-II) who underwent adrenalectomy with radical nephrectomy were included in this study.

The patients did not receive any Cs treatment perioperatively.

How the Study Was Run

None of them had received steroids for at least 5 years prior to the current surgery.

Monitoring included heart rate (beats/min), mean arterial pressure (mm Hg), central venous pressure (mm Hg), O2 saturation (%), and body temperature (degrees C, rectal).

The study was completed with plasma analyses on postoperative days 2 and 3 (8 a.m.).

What Was Measured

The subject headings attached to it are Adrenalectomy, Adrenocorticotropic Hormone, Carcinoma, Renal Cell, Hemodynamics, Hydrocortisone, Intraoperative Period and Kidney Neoplasms.

What This Means in Plain Language

This is a clinical trial of ACTH (Corticotropin).

The abstract goes on to report its results in about 8 sentences; this page does not restate them, so read the paper for the findings and their limits.

The publication is from 1997 (Der Anaesthesist), a journal based in Germany.

More context: the ACTH (Corticotropin) compound page, all human trials.