Comparison between a glucose-fructose-xylitol solution and a sole glucose solution for surgical patients with glucose tolerance impairment.

The metabolic response to the postoperative delivery of a sole glucose solution or a glucose-fructose-xylitol solution, and their effects upon carbohydrate metabolism, in patients with glucose tolerance impairment, were evaluated. Twenty four patients who showed an abnormal 75g-OGTT or were noninsulin-dependent diabetics were divided in two groups. The GFX-B group (n = 11) received a 10.5% solution, containing glucose, fructose and xylitol at 4:2:1 ratio, and the PHY-3 group (n = 13) received a 10% glucose solution, both, continuously infused for 3 days postoperatively. The infusion of PHY-3 tended to produce a higher increase in blood glucose than the infusion of GFX-B, that was significantly different on the 3POD (P less than 0.05). The increase in IRI and CPR was also significantly greater in PHY-3 group than in GFX-B group on the 3POD (P less than 0.05). We concluded that it was not only the slight lower glucose load of the GFX-B solution, but also, the different infused carbohydrate substrate which had influenced the magnitude of insulin secretion and the blood glucose level. Then, its use in glucose intolerant patients may be of some benefit to partially minimize the postoperative hyperglycemic response.