Intramucosal pH (pHi) in splanchnic organs is a reliable index of local tis
sular perfusion, and can be measured by tonometry. At the Surgical Intensiv
e Care Unit we used tonometry to determine tissular perfusion in patients w
ho underwent major digestive surgery.
We report a prospective study of 20 patients with elective and emergency su
rgery. All of them underwent gastric tonometry and 10 of them, who had colo
nic disease, also underwent sigmoid tonometry.
The values below pHi = 7.30 were associated with increased morbidity and mo
rtality.