Effects of hypothermia with and without buffering in hypercapnia and hypercapnic hypoxemia
Anesthetized, paralyzed and mechanically ventilated pigs were hypoventilated to extreme hypercapnia (PaCO2 approximately 20 kPa) at FiO2 0.5, and allotted to receive hypothermia (approximately 31.5 degrees C) and buffer infusion, (HB-group, n = 6) or to a hypothermic control group (H-group, n = 6). The HB-group had higher arterial pH (7.34 vs 7.09, P < 0.01) and plasma bicarbonate (58.8 vs 35.4 mm