Effects of hemodilution on gastric regional perfusion and intramucosal pH

Acute normovolemic hemodilution (ANH) has been shown to be a cost-effective method of reducing allogenic blood transfusion during elective surgery. ANH has been implicated with impaired oxygenation in isolated canine gastric flaps. The present study was designed to investigate the effects of ANH on gastric mucosal oxygenation using a model closely imitating the clinical situation. Sixteen splenectomized anesthetized beagles were isovolemically hemodiluted to a hematocrit of 20 +/- 1% (6% hydroxyethyl starch; mol wt 200,000; substitution ratio 0.45-0.55). Blood volume (indocyanine green), cardiorespiratory parameters, gastric intramucosal pH (pHi), and gastric regional blood flow (radioactive microspheres; 15 microns) were measured before and after ANH. Results: blood volume was unchanged (87 +/- 8 ml/kg before and 88 +/- 7 ml/kg after ANH). Median total gastric mucosal blood flow at baseline was 0.51 +/- 0.35 ml.min-1.g-1 and did not change significantly upon ANH. The mean pHi was 7.29 +/- 0.05 before and 7.28 +/- 0.05 after hemodilution. There was a homogenization of blood flow distribution in gastric mucosa. Severe hemodilution to a hematocrit of 20% does not impair gastric mucosal oxygenation and poses no risk to gastric mucosal integrity.