The effect of surgery and nutritional regimen on plasma lipoproteins and fat metabolites in man.

Plasma lipoproteins and fat metabolites were measured before and during the first five post-operative days in patients undergoing elective abdominal surgery of moderate severity. They received nutrition as total parenteral nutrition (TPN) or 4% dextrose saline (D S ) or isotonic aminoacids (IAA). Surgery caused an immediate fall in total and very low density lipoprotein triglyceride and total high density lipoprotein cholesterol but a rise in the high density lipoprotein subfraction 2 cholesterol. The increase in total triglyceride after 5 post-operative days was due principally to changes in triglyceride not carried by very low density lipoprotein and was related to the type of nutrition provided. There was no evidence of impaired intra-vascular lipolysis.