Arteriovenous differences in PCO2 and pH are good indicators of critical hypoperfusion.

Recent reports have suggested that increases in venoarterial difference in PCO2 (VAPCO2) and arteriovenous difference in pH (AVpH) represent valuable markers of tissue hypoxia in shock states associated with low cardiac output. We compared the values of VAPCO2 and AVpH with that of blood lactate in their relationship to changes in O2 uptake (VO2) and O2 delivery (DO2) during an acute reduction in blood flow induced by cardiac tamponade. In 13 anesthetized and mechanically ventilated dogs, a catheter was inserted into the pericardium to inject saline and to measure the intrapericardial pressure. VO2 was derived from expired gas analysis. DO2 was calculated by the product of the thermodilution cardiac index and the arterial O2 content. The critical DO2 (DO2crit) was found at 9.9 +/- 1.8 ml/kg.min. VAPCO2 and AVpH, which were 7.1 +/- 4.6 mm Hg and 0.028 +/- 0.025 U, respectively, at baseline, progressively increased to reach 17.5 +/- 6.6 mm Hg and 0.114 +/- 0.054 U, respectively, at DO2crit (both p < 0.01). Below DO2crit they increased more dramatically. These changes were related to both arterial hypocapnia and mixed venous hypercapnia. CO2 excretion decreased from 5.8 +/- 2.0 ml/kg-min at baseline to 3.9 +/- 0.9 ml/kg.min at DO2crit (p < 0.01). End-tidal CO2 tension significantly fell below DO2crit. Lactate levels increased from 2.1 +/- 0.5 to 3.5 +/- 0.5 mmol/L at DO2crit (P < 0.01) and to 6.9 +/- 2.1 mmol/L (p < 0.01) at the end of the study. There was no statistically significant difference between the DO2crit calculated for VAPCO2, AVpH, lactate, or VO2.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)