Postoperative Ketotic Hyperglycemia During Prostaglandin E1 Infusion in Infancy

Prostaglandin E1 (PGE-1) has recently been approved for intravenous infusion in infants as a palliative treatment in selected cardiovascular anomalies (E. Micalizzi, personal communication, 1981). These include lesions in which patency of the ductus arteriosus is necessary to assure either pulmonary or systemic blood flow.1 In addition to its vasoactive properties, PGE-1 has many metabolic properties, some of which are now coming under close scrutiny. This case report describes the postoperative course of an infant who, while under treatment with PGE-1, became severely hyperglycemic with apparent ketoacidosis. CASE REPORT J.R. was the product of a 35-week gestation as determined by dates. The mother was an insulin-dependent diabetic with renal-vascular involvement.