Diet induced ketosis in epilepsy and anaesthesia. Metabolic changes in three patients on a ketogenic diet

Parenteral medication considerations for the ketogenic diet

PURPOSE

This initiative conducted a needs assessment regarding the extent of potential risk for accidental carbohydrate exposure in patients on the ketogenic diet in acute care settings at 2 academic medical centers.

SUMMARY

Medications used in the emergency department, intensive care unit, or operating room can contain carbohydrates or be diluted in carbohydrate-containing fluids. Use of these medications can shift patients on the ketogenic diet out of ketosis, causing breakthrough seizures. Despite standard clinical practices, there are no consensus guidelines to date for the logistical management of these patients during hospital admissions. This lack of standardized management increases the risk for parenteral medication errors during transitions within the healthcare system. A review of the literature demonstrates increased medication safety errors compounded by this lack of systemwide endeavors. Initiatives enhancing provider education and quality improvement safety measures have been reported; however, the extent of the potential risk with regard to medication formulation has not been assessed. Fifty medications were evaluated for their potential risk for carbohydrate exposure in a real-world quality improvement needs assessment conducted at 2 academic medical centers.

CONCLUSION

Because of increased exposure to carbohydrate-containing medications and medication safety errors, the authors recommend developing institutional protocols, an order set in the electronic medical record, and a multidisciplinary approach for patients on the ketogenic diet. Further research is warranted to assess the impact of these quality improvement measures on safety and clinical outcomes and to justify the development and implementation of consensus guidelines in centers of excellence that serve these patients.

Perioperative Management of Children on Ketogenic Dietary Therapies

Ketogenic diet therapy (KDT) is an effective treatment modality for children with drug-resistant epilepsy and certain other metabolic and neurologic disorders. With a resurgence of interest in KDT, pediatric anesthesiologists are increasingly encountering children on KDT for a variety of surgical and medical procedures. Maintenance of ketosis is critical throughout the perioperative period, and if not managed appropriately, these patients are at an increased risk of seizures. This review article provides an overview of the clinical indications, contraindications, proposed anticonvulsant mechanisms, initiation, and monitoring of children on KDTs. Recommendations for the perioperative anesthetic management of children on KDT are summarized. A comprehensive table listing the carbohydrate content of common anesthetic drugs is also included.

Perioperative Management of a Child With Glucose Transporter Type 1 Deficiency Syndrome: A Case Report

Glucose transporter type 1 deficiency syndrome (GLUT1DS) causes central nervous system dysfunction including intractable epilepsy caused by impaired glucose transport to the brain. To prevent convulsions and maintain an energy source for the brain in patients with GLUT1DS, the maintenance of adequate ketone body concentrations, compensation of metabolic acidosis, and reduction of surgical stress are essential. We here report the perioperative management of a child with GLUT1DS.

Anesthetic management of a pediatric patient on a ketogenic diet

There are several specific considerations regarding seizure control during the perioperative period in patients who have been placed on a ketogenic diet (KD). A KD is high in fat and low in protein and carbohydrates and has a long history of use for the treatment of intractable seizures in children. Maintaining therapeutic ketosis and modifying the acid-base balance are particularly important for preventing seizures in patients on a KD. We report changes in the biochemical parameters of a patient with double cortex syndrome who was on a KD and who had been scheduled for the treatment of dental caries under sevoflurane anesthesia and acetate Ringer administration. Inhalation induction with a high concentration of sevoflurane should be reconsidered in view of recent reports describing the epileptogenic potential of sevoflurane.

General anesthesia and the ketogenic diet: clinical experience in nine patients

PURPOSE

To determine if children actively on the ketogenic diet (KD) can safely undergo general anesthesia (GA) for surgical procedures.

METHODS

The records of children treated with the KD at Children's Hospital (Boston, Massachusetts) from 1995 to the present were reviewed. The charts of children who had received GA while on the diet were evaluated with regard to demographics, procedure information, anesthesia records, blood chemistries, and perioperative course. Of 71 children on the KD during the period of the study, nine (12.7%) had procedures requiring GA while on the diet.

RESULTS

Nine children received GA for surgical procedures ranging from central line placement to hemispherectomy while on the KD. At the time of GA, the children ranged from age 1 to 6 years, and had been on the KD for 2-60 months. The patients received carbohydrate-free intravenous solutions perioperatively. Anesthesia duration ranged from 20 min to 11.5 h; for longer procedures, serum pH, glucose, and electrolyte levels were monitored. Serum glucose levels remained stable in all patients, but serum pH typically decreased; the largest reduction was to 7.16. In three procedures, patients received intravenous bicarbonate because of level of acidosis. There were no perioperative complications.

CONCLUSIONS

Children on the KD can safely undergo GA for surgical procedures. Although serum glucose levels appear to remain stable, serum pH or bicarbonate levels should be monitored because of the risk of metabolic acidosis.

Perioperative management of a paediatric patient on the ketogenic diet

The ketogenic diet has become commonplace for the treatment of paediatric patients with refractory epilepsy. I describe the perioperative management of a patient on the ketogenic diet. The basis, complications and anaesthetic implications of the diet are discussed.