Impact of Preoperative Oral Carbohydrate Loading on Insulin Resistance in Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Patients

July 24, 2026 updated by: Rifdhani Fakhrudin Nur

The Effect of Preoperative Oral Carbohydrate Loading on Insulin Resistance in Pediatric Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Surgical stress and preoperative fasting can induce insulin resistance, characterized by impaired cellular response to insulin and resulting hyperglycemia. In pediatric patients undergoing cardiac surgery, this metabolic stress response may negatively affect postoperative recovery. Although preoperative oral carbohydrate loading, defined as administering a carbohydrate-rich beverage before surgery rather than prolonged fasting, has demonstrated efficacy in reducing postoperative insulin resistance in adults, evidence supporting its use in pediatric cardiac surgery remains limited.

This randomized controlled trial aims to determine whether preoperative oral carbohydrate loading reduces perioperative insulin resistance, as measured by the Homeostasis Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR), in pediatric patients undergoing cardiac surgery. The study will compare outcomes between children who receive an oral carbohydrate beverage prior to surgery and those who follow standard preoperative fasting protocols.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

This study is a prospective, single-blind, randomized controlled trial of pediatric patients who underwent elective cardiac surgery at Dr. Sardjito General Hospital, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, from April to August 2026. The study sample consisted of pediatric patients aged 2-16 years with an ASA physical status of 2 or 3 who had good tolerance for enteral fluid administration. Patients will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: 1. Intervention Group (Carbohydrate Loading): 3 mL/kg body weight of a maltodextrin-based carbohydrate drink 2 hours before anesthesia; 2. Control Group (Placebo Loading): 3 mL/kg body weight of plain water 2 hours before anesthesia. All patients will follow standard preoperative fasting guidelines. Blood samples for glucose and insulin testing will be collected immediately after induction (baseline), at 0 hours of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admission, and at 24 hours of ICU admission. The primary outcome is the Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR). Secondary outcomes include blood glucose levels, serum insulin concentration, exogenous insulin dose, and glycemic variability.

All study participants will undergo preoperative assessment, followed by a carbohydrate-loading protocol, and assessment of blood glucose levels, insulin resistance, exogenous insulin administration, and intraoperative and postoperative glycemic variability. Numerical data will be presented as means and standard deviations. Categorical data will be presented as counts and percentages. The Shapiro-Wilk normality test will be applied to all numerical data. Subject characteristics between the two groups will be compared using the Chi-square test for categorical data and the t-test (for normally distributed data) or the Mann-Whitney test (for non-normally distributed data) for numerical data. Pre- and postoperative HOMA-IR values will be compared using a paired t-test if the data are normally distributed, or a two-way ANCOVA (univariate GLM) if they are not. A p-value < 0.05 will be considered statistically significant.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

44

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Locations

  • Indonesia
    • D.I. Yogyakarta
      • Sleman, D.I. Yogyakarta, Indonesia, 55281

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age 2-16 years.
  • ASA physical status 2 or 3
  • Good tolerance of enteral feeding

Exclusion Criteria:

  • History of type 1 diabetes mellitus.
  • History of thyroid insufficiency treated with thyroid medication.
  • History of adrenal insufficiency treated with corticosteroids.
  • History of gastroesophageal reflux disease.
  • Patients receiving preoperative parenteral nutrition.
  • Emergency or urgent cardiac surgery.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Carbohydrate Loading (CL)
Participants receive 3 mL/kg body weight of a carbohydrate drink 2 hours before anesthesia induction.
Dietary supplement: Carbohydrate
Participants receive 3 mL/kg body weight of a carbohydrate drink 2 hours before anesthesia induction. The drink is used to lower insulin resistance and improve perioperative recovery.
Other Names:
  • Oral carbohydrate drink
  • preoperative carbohydrate loading drink
Placebo Comparator: Placebo Loading (PL)
Participants receive 3 mL/kg body weight of plain water 2 hours before surgery, following the same timing and fasting protocol as the experimental group
Other: placebo solution
Participants receive 3 mL/kg body weight of plain water 2 hours before surgery, following the same timing and fasting protocol as the experimental group.
Other Names:
  • Plain water
  • Clear water placebo

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
HOMA-IR (Homeostasis Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance)
Time Frame: Baseline, 0 Hour ICU Admission, 24 hours ICU Admission
The Homeostasis Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) is calculated as fasting insulin (µU/mL) × fasting glucose (mmol/L) / 22.5. Higher values indicate greater insulin resistance.
Baseline, 0 Hour ICU Admission, 24 hours ICU Admission

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Blood Glucose Level
Time Frame: Baseline, 0 hour ICU Admission, 24 hours ICU Admission
Blood glucose measured from central venous samples to assess changes in glucose metabolism during and after cardiac surgery.
Baseline, 0 hour ICU Admission, 24 hours ICU Admission
Serum Insulin Concentration
Time Frame: Baseline, 0 hour ICU Admission, 24 hours ICU Admission
Serum insulin level measured from central venous blood samples to characterize perioperative insulin changes. Higher values indicate higher circulating insulin.
Baseline, 0 hour ICU Admission, 24 hours ICU Admission
Exogenous Insulin Dose
Time Frame: Baseline, 0 hour ICU Admission, 24 hours ICU Admission
Total daily dose of exogenous insulin (basal and/or bolus) required to achieve glycemic control will be recorded, expressed in units per day (U/day) or units per kilogram body weight per day (U/kg/day). Change in insulin dose from baseline will be used to reflect changes in insulin requirement/sensitivity.
Baseline, 0 hour ICU Admission, 24 hours ICU Admission
Glycemic Variability
Time Frame: Baseline, 0 Hour ICU Admission, 24 Hours ICU Admission
Glycemic variability is defined as the fluctuation of blood glucose levels during the perioperative period, calculated from serial blood glucose measurements. Variability will be expressed as the standard deviation (SD) and/or coefficient of variation (%CV) of serial glucose values (numeric/continuous scale). Higher SD/CV values indicate greater glycemic fluctuation during the perioperative period.
Baseline, 0 Hour ICU Admission, 24 Hours ICU Admission

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Rifdhani Fakhrudin Nur

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

August 25, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

October 30, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

November 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

July 21, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 24, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

July 27, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

July 27, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 24, 2026

Last Verified

July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • KE/FK/1142/EC/2026

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

De-identified individual participant data (IPD) will be made available upon reasonable request to the corresponding investigator after publication of study results.

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP
  • ICF

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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