Cardiac and skeletal muscle acid-base composition during metabolic acidosis in dogs

Nephrectomized, open chested dogs were infused with 25-30 ml.kg(-1) body weight of 0.15 M NaCl (group I), 0.15 MHCl (Group II) or 0.3 M lactic acid (Group) III). Pulmonary ventilation was maintained constant in the three groups. Intracellular pH was calculated with the CO2 method. No significant intracellular or extracellular acid-base changes were produced in Group I. A similar degree of extracellular acidosis was achieved in Groups II and III. In spite of constant arterial PCO2, the PCO2 of mixed, coronary sinus and femoral vanous blood increased moderately after the infusion in Groups II and III. It was calculated that less than half of the HCl acid infused remained in the extracellular space. However, no significant changes were observed in the acid-base composition of skeletal muscle in either Group II or III. Comparison of the cardiac muscle cell acid-base composition of Group I with that of Groups II and III whows that metabolic acidosis of the degree and duration produced in these experiments does not produce appreciable myocardial acidosis.