Current evidence on the peri-operative cortisol stress response is highly heterogeneous and largely lacks precise measurement techniques like mass spectrometry, preventing a reproducible definition of the response.
The peri-operative cortisol stress response is dynamic and influenced by patient-specific, surgical and anaesthetic features. However, the available evidence is derived from highly heterogeneous studies, with only two of 71 studies measuring cortisol by mass spectrometry, which currently prevents a precise and reproducible definition of this response.
Prete et al. (Thu,) studied this question.