Tonometry to estimate intestinal perfusion in newborn piglets
Morag E Campbella, John E Van Aerdea, Po-Yin Cheungb, Damon C Mayesb
a Neonatal
Intensive Care Unit Children's Health Centre
Departments of Pediatrics
University of Alberta
Edmonton Canada, b Department of Obstetrics
Correspondence to: Dr J Van Aerde 3A3.08 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit W MacKenzie Health Sciences Centre University of Alberta Hospitals Edmonton Alberta Canada T6G 2R7. Email: jvanaerd{at}pop.srv.ualberta.ca.
Accepted 12 March 1999
AIM
To determine the
correlation between gastric intramucosal pH and superior mesenteric
artery (SMA) flow in newborn piglets.
METHODS
Fourteen
newborn piglets were randomly assigned to either a control or to an
epinephrine group which received 0,1,2,4,0 µg/kg/min of epinephrine
for 60 minutes, each dose. Gastric tonometry was performed, SMA flow
was measured, and intramucosal pH and the ratio of tonometer
pCO2 over arterial pCO2 (rCO2) were calculated.
RESULTS
Intramucosal
pH decreased over time in both groups, but tended to be lower in the
epinephrine group. With increasing dose of epinephrine, SMA flow
decreased; this in turn increased rCO2 (p = 0.04) with
a tendency to decrease intramucosal pH (p = 0.06).
CONCLUSIONS
Gastric
tonometry may be useful in human neonates to evaluate gut ischaemia.
Keywords: tonometry; ischemia; inotropes; bowel
© 1999 by Archives of Disease in Childhood
This article has been cited by other articles:
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Dasgupta, S J, Gill, A B
(2003). Hypotension in the very low birthweight infant: the old, the new, and the uncertain. Arch. Dis. Child. Fetal Neonatal Ed.
88: F450-454
[Abstract] [Full Text]
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