Intestinal and cerebral oxygenation during severe isovolemic hemodilution and subsequent hyperoxic ventilation in a pig model

Background During severe isovolemic hemodilution, determination of critical hematocrit levels for the microvascular oxygenation of different organs might provide more insight into the effect of the redistribution of blood flow and oxygen delivery on the oxygenation of different organs. The effect of an increased amount of dissolved oxygen on tissue oxygenation during severely decreased hematocrit levels is not clear. Methods Fifteen anesthetized pigs were randomized between an experimental group (n = 10), in which severe isovolemic hemodilution was performed with 6% hydroxyethylstarch (1:1), and a time-matched control group (n = 5). Systemic, intestinal, and cerebral hemodynamic and oxygenation parameters were monitored. Microvascular oxygen partial pressure (muPo(2) ) was measured in the cerebral cortex and the intestinal serosa and mucosa, using the oxygen-dependent quenching of Pd-porphyrin phosphorescence. In the final phase of the experiment, fraction of inspired oxygen was increased to 1.0. Results Hemodilution decreased hematocrit from 25.3 +/- 3.0 to 7.6 +/- 1.2% (mean +/- SD). Systemic and intestinal oxygen delivery fell with the onset of hemodilution; intestinal oxygen consumption deceased at a hematocrit of 9.9%, whereas the systemic oxygen consumption decreased at a hematocrit of 7.6%. During hemodilution, the intestinal and cerebral oxygen extraction ratios increased from baseline with 130 and 52%, respectively. Based on the intersection of the two best-fit regression lines, determined by a least sum of squares technique, similar critical hematocrit levels were found for systemic oxygen consumption and the cerebral and intestinal mucosa muPo(2); the intestinal serosa muPo(2) decreased at an earlier stage (P < 0.05). Hyperoxic ventilation improved the muPo(2) values but not systemic or intestinal oxygen consumption. Conclusions During isovolemic hemodilution, the diminished oxygen supply was redistributed in favor of organs with a lower capacity to increase oxygen extraction. It is hypothesized that redirection of the oxygen supply within the intestines resulted in the preservation of oxygen consumption and mucosal muPo(2) compared with serosal muPo(2).