[Action of ranitidine on changes in gastric pH during the perioperative period in cardiac surgery]

Any state of stress originates a reduction of gastric pH contributing to the development of digestive lesions. The objective of this prospective work was to evaluate in subjects having undergone a heart surgical procedure, the effect of an anti-H2 agent, ranitidine, on the changes with time of gastric pH during the first 24 hours following induced anaesthesia. Administered discontinuously intravenously, ranitidine was shown to have a clearcut effect on gastric pH, shifting the pH profiles towards higher values. This phenomenon proves to be statistically significant from the 12th hour following the beginning of anesthesia.