Ranitidine or dobutamine alone or combined has no effect on gastric intramucosal-arterial PCO(2) difference after cardiac surgery.
OBJECTIVE
To test the hypothesis that ranitidine, either alone or in combination with dobutamine, modifies the gastric intramucosal-arterial PCO(2) difference.


METHODS
Full factorial design (double-blinded for ranitidine).


METHODS
Intensive Care Unit of a university hospital.


METHODS
Sixty-four haemodynamically stable coronary artery bypass surgery patients.


METHODS
Ranitidine (150 mg preoperatively per os and 50 mg intravenously postoperatively) and dobutamine (4 micro g. kg(-1). min(-1) for 3 h postoperatively) were administered in four randomised groups of patients: preoperative and postoperative ranitidine, either alone (n = 15) or in combination with dobutamine (n = 17), dobutamine alone (n = 15) or neither ranitidine nor dobutamine (n = 17).


RESULTS
Gastric intramucosal-arterial PCO(2) difference was measured during the first 5 postoperative hours. No differences in the postoperative pattern of gastric intramucosal-arterial PCO(2) difference were found among the groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Ranitidine and dobutamine have no effect on the gastric tonometry results on intramucosal-arterial PCO(2) difference after uncomplicated cardiac surgery. Hence, the routine use of H(2)-antagonists for gastrointestinal tonometry is not warranted. Our results must be limited to results obtained by tonometry; they do not allow any conclusions on the effects of these drugs on splanchnic blood flow or its distribution.
Väisänen
O
O
Critical Care Research Program, Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, Kuopio University Hospital, FIN-70210 Kuopio, Finland.
Ruokonen
E
E
Parviainen
I
I
Bocek
P
P
Takala
J
J
D000318:Adrenergic beta-Agonists / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000097:blood*; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass; D004280:Dobutamine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006635:Histamine H2 Antagonists / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011899:Ranitidine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D000318:Adrenergic beta-Agonists; D006635:Histamine H2 Antagonists; D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D004280:Dobutamine; D011899:Ranitidine