Circulatory shock
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It is assumed that the development of metabolic acidosis during sepsis is secondary to lactic acidosis. We assessed the composition of the anion gap during severe sepsis induced by cecal perforation in rats. In the first experiment, cardiac output, arterial blood gases, and arterial lactate were measured over a 6 hr interval in five septic rats and in five rats serving as sham-operated controls. ⋯ The serum anion gap was calculated as [(Na(+) + K+) - (Cl(-) + HCO3-)]. The anion gap was 21.6 +/- 1.6 mEq/L in the septic animals as compared to 13.2 +/- 0.5 mEq/L in the sham animals (P less than 0.01). There were no differences in the concentration of pyruvate, beta-hydroxybutyrate, acetoacetate, citrate, creatinine, albumin, or amino acids.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)