Cardiac output response to altered acid-base status during diethyl ether anaesthesia

The effects of acid-base changes on cardiac output during diethyl ether anaesthesia were studied in 25 mongrel dogs prepared by surgically implanting a plastic encased non-ferrous core electromagnetic probe on the ascending aorta. The findings are: (1) Metabolic acidaemia produced only slight decrease in cardiac output but a more marked fall became evident with decreasing pH(2) Respiratory acidaemia led to a slight rise in cardiac output. (3) Respiratory alkalaemia decreased cardiac output. (4) Metabolic alkalaemia also produced a decline in cardiac output.