[Liver tissue pH measurement can predict survival in rats undergoing normothermic ischemias]

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of pH measurement of the liver for the prediction of survival after normothermic hepatic ischemia. Liver ischemia was induced in rats with cirrhosis and normal liver by cross-clamping of the portal vein and hepatic artery, bypassing the portal blood to the jugular vein through a shunt tube. The ischemic time periods were selected arbitrarily from 15 to 95 minutes. Preischemic liver function test was assessed by indocyanine green dye. I measured liver tissue pH continuously during the ischemic period. In addition, levels of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) of the hepatic tissue was determined every ten minutes after ischemia by HPLC and energy charge was calculated. There was a significant positive correlation between the postischemic change of the liver tissue pH and that of energy charge. A discriminant analysis yielded an equation predictive of survival: Y = 7.2 *delta pH10 + 27.15 *KICG - 0.07 *ischemic time - (Y greater than or equal to 0; survivors, Y less than 0; nonsurvivors, delta pH10; preischemic pH - pH at 10 minutes after ischemia). The equation predicted survival with 77.8% accuracy. I conclude that liver tissue pH reflects energy charge of the liver during the ischemic period and pH measurement can predict survival with high accuracy in rats undergoing normothermic ischemia.