MINIREVIEW
Gastric Tonometry and Intramucosal pH - Theoretical Principles and Clinical
Application
V. Černý, K. Cvachovec
Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Faculty of
Medicine, Charles University, Faculty Hospital Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
Received September 9, 1999
Accepted December 21, 1999
Summary
Gastric or intestinal luminal tonometry is a method for
monitoring critically ill patients. It offers an index of the adequacy of
aerobic metabolism in a tissue that is particularly sensitive to alterations in
its perfusion and oxygenation: the gut mucosa. It is based on the measuring the
increase in tissue CO2 production that accompanies anaerobic
metabolism. The method simply consists of a balloon in the stomach, which
measures intramucosal pCO2. From this measurement and from the
arterial bicarbonate concentration gastric intramucosal pH (pHi) can be
calculated, assuming that bicarbonate concentration in the gastric mucosal
tissue is in equilibrium with systemic arterial bicarbonate. Despite possible
clinical benefit from the measurement and the therapy of low pHi values in
critically ill patients, the theoretical, experimental and pathophysiological
implications for the monitoring of intramucosal acidosis in the gut are not yet
fully understood. There are still some open methodological questions crucial for
further clinical interpretation.
Key words
Shock · Diagnostic techniques and
procedures · Anoxia ·
Intensive care · Tonometry ·
pHi · Splanchnic perfusion
Reprint requests
Dr. V. Černý, E. Beneše 1537, 500 12 Hradec Králové, Czech Republic,
e-mail: cernyvla@fnhk.cz
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