Rh. Geelkerken et al., Operations that require supracoeliac aortic cross-clamping: Perioperative monitoring with gastric tonometry, EURO J SURG, 165(1), 1999, pp. 15-20
Objective: To assess the predictive value of a gastric intramucosal pH of l
ess than 7.35 for mortality in surgical patients after supracoeliac aortic
cross-clamping.
Design: Open prospective clinical study.
Setting: University hospital, The Netherlands.
Subjects: Six patients who required temporary supracoeliac, and four patien
ts who required temporary infrarenal, crossclamping of the aorta.
Main outcome measures: Mortality and conventional measures of organ dysfunc
tion correlated with gastric tonometry.
Results: All 6 patients who required supracoeliac cross-clamping underwent
a steep, and 5 patients a prolonged, decrease in the gastric intramucosal p
H. The mean lowest gastric intramucosal pH in the supracoeliac group was 7.
05 and in the infrarenal group 7.28. All patients recovered completely.
Conclusion: A pHig value below 7.35 does not seem to be a marker of mortali
ty in patients who have undergone supracoeliac cross-clamping of the aorta.