Dopexamine and dopamine in the prevention of low gastric mucosal pH following cardiopulmonary by‐pass

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Abstract
The effect of low‐dose dopexamine and dopamine on gastric intramucosal pH (pHi) during cardiac surgery and 16 hours postoperatively was studied in 35 adult patients (coronary artery bypass grafting and/or valve replacement). The patients were assigned randomly to treatment groups with either dopexamine 1 μg. kg‐1.min‐1(n=12), dopamine 2.5 μg. kg‐1.min‐1(n=11) or to a control group (n=12). The infusions were started after induction of anesthesia and were continued until 16 hours after CPB. pHiand arterial pH (pHa) did not differ between groups and remained unchanged during cardiopulmonary by‐pass and for the first four postoperative hours. Both the carbon dioxide tension of arterial blood (PaCO2) and of the saline in the tonometer (PtonCO2) changed in parallel with a decrease during CPB and an increase after CPB and surgery with maximal values 12 hours after termination of CPB. A significant correlation was noted between pHiand pHaand between arterial and tonometric PCO2. It is concluded that low dose dopexamine and dopamine have no influence on pHiduring and after cardiac surgery. The observed changes in pHiand PtonCO2were due to changes in pHaand in PaCO2and not a sign of gastric mucosal ischemia