Magnetic resonance in medicine : official journal of the Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine
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Comparative Study
Hemodynamic and hepatic pH responses to sodium bicarbonate and Carbicarb during systemic acidosis.
Rats subjected to ammonium chloride-induced metabolic acidosis were given alkalinization therapy with either sodium bicarbonate or Carbicarb. Ammonium chloride-induced severe metabolic acidosis had minimal effect on mean arterial blood pressure and cardiac output. This acidosis resulted in a small but statistically significant fall in intracellular liver pH (pHi) as measured with 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy (7.01 +/- 0.05 vs 7.08 +/- 0.04, p less than 0.05). ⋯ Carbicarb therapy resulted in systemic alkalinization without major changes in arterial pCO2, cardiac output, or mean arterial blood pressure. Moreover, Carbicarb effected a sustained intracellular alkalinization of the liver (phi = 7.12 +/- 0.07 at 5 min, p less than 0.05, pHi = 7.19 +/- 0.07 at 10 min, p less than 0.01, pHi = 7.16 +/- 0.06 at 15 min, p less than 0.01, vs baseline pHi = 7.05 +/- 0.06). These data suggest that Carbicarb may be a more effective buffer than sodium bicarbonate during conditions where ventilation is limited and hemodynamic instability is present.