Perioperative maternal and neonatal acid-base status and glucose metabolism in patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Maternal and neonatal acid-base status and glucose metabolism were studied in 20 patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (group 1) undergoing elective cesarean section under lumbar epidural anesthesia. All patients were given glucose/insulin infusion before delivery. Fifteen healthy patients with iatrogenic hyperglycemia (group 2) and 15 healthy euglycemic patients (group 3) served as controls. Results were expressed as mean +/- 1 SE and were analyzed using analysis of variance and chi 2 analysis at P less than 0.05. No significant differences were seen at delivery either in maternal arterial and neonatal umbilical venous and arterial blood acid-base status or in neonatal Apgar scores among the three groups. Patients in groups 1 and 2 had larger blood glucose concentrations than those in group 3 (P = 0.01). Diabetic mothers and their neonates had a 25%-50% reduction in pyruvate concentration in maternal venous, and neonatal umbilical venous and arterial blood compared with that in the other two groups (P = 0.001). Postpartum neonatal hypoglycemia (less than 30 mg/dL) developed in seven of the group 1 neonates (P = 0.05). Thus, epidural anesthesia in diabetic women is associated with normal acid-base status in the mother and in the neonate. The data also show an increased incidence of neonatal hypoglycemia and altered maternal and neonatal glycolysis in patients with diabetes mellitus.