Oxygen uptake of canine whole body and hind limb with hypocapnic alkalosis.

The effect of hypocapnic alkalosis induced by hyperventilation on whole-body and hind-limb oxygen uptake (VO2) was studied in dogs anesthetized with pentobarbital. In the intact dog with a self-perfused hind limb, increasing pHa from 7.41 to 7.58 increased whole-body VO2 8% and decreased hind-limb VO2 6%. Isolated hind limbs perfused with heparinized whole blood had similar decreases in VO2 with increases in arterial blood pH (pHa). However, isolated hind limbs perfused with whole blood containing citrate, phosphate, and dextrose (CPD) showed muscle twitches, had larger VO2 values at identical pHa's, and had an increase in VO2 with increase in pHa. These changes with a CPD perfusate were associated with low levels of ionized calcium (less than 0.5 mEq/1), disappeared when calcium ion spontaneously increased to 1.0 mEq/1, and could be prevented or abolished by the addition of calcium chloride, dantrolene, d-tubocurarine, or succinylcholine. These results are in accord with the findings of others regarding an increase in whole-body VO2 with hypocapnic alkalosis, but do not support a contributory role of skeletal muscle to the overall increase.