JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association
-
To investigate the importance of splanchnic ischemia in patients with acute circulatory failure by comparing gastric intramucosal pH as measured by tonometry with conventional methods of assessing adequacy of tissue oxygenation. ⋯ Gastric intramucosal pH was the most reliable indicator of adequacy of tissue oxygenation in this group of patients. Inadequate regional blood flow as detected by a reduction in gastric intramucosal pH, but not by systemic measures, is an important contributor to morbidity and mortality in intensive care units.