Neuroendocrine stress hormones do not recreate the postoperative hypercoagulable state.

What Was Tested

Researchers studied Glucagon and Angiotensin II in this randomized controlled trial publication.

Surgery causes changes in hemostasis, leading to a hypercoagulable state that has been linked to both arterial and venous thrombotic complications.

The etiology of this state is unknown, but many investigators have hypothesized that perioperative neuroendocrine changes are responsible.

Who Took Part

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

How the Study Was Run

The researchers set it up as a randomized, placebo-controlled and crossover study.

Random assignment meant chance, not the researchers, decided who got Glucagon and who got the comparison, which limits bias.

Some participants received a placebo instead of Glucagon, giving a reference point.

In the crossover set-up each of the participants took both Glucagon and the comparison in turn, acting as their own control.

What Was Measured

Venous blood samples were obtained for measurement of hemostatic function before the infusion and at 2, 8, and 24 h.

The subject headings attached to it are Angiotensin II, Blood Coagulation, Epinephrine, Glucagon, Hemodynamics, Hydrocortisone and Hyperglycemia.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, placebo-controlled and crossover study of Glucagon and Angiotensin II.

Its findings take up roughly 2 sentences of the abstract and are left out here on purpose; the source paper is the place to read them.

The publication is from 1998 (Anesthesia and analgesia), a journal based in United States.

More context: the related Glucagon library page, all human trials.