Circulatory shock
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Peritonitis and septic shock may lead to tissue hypoxia, but this risk is not identical in all organ systems. This study was undertaken to measure changes in tissue oxygenation and perfusion in the gut wall and subcutaneous tissue, respectively, and to examine their relation to oxygen delivery and consumption. Twelve pigs were anesthesized and mechanically ventilated. ⋯ The animals were then followed for 5 hr. pHi remained stable in the control group, whereas a drop from 7.37 to 7.02 took place in the peritonitis group. In the test group, subcutaneous oxygen tension (PscO2) already began to fall 1 hr after the induction of peritonitis, and gained the minimum at the end of the study. In peritonitis, a moderate correlation was seen between pHi and DO2 (r = 0.51 +/- 0.16); no statistical difference was noted if pHi was correlated to gut DO2 (r = 0.56 +/- 0.18).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)