The purpose of this report is to evaluate the usefulness of serial monitoring of mixed venous pH and blood gas tensions in infants and young children undergoing major surgical operations. Such laboratory data obtained at frequent intervals during operations in adults has proven to be a valuable adjunct to patient care.1 These measurements provide sensitive indicators of respiratory and metabolic abnormalities, often preceding changes in blood pressure, pulse, venous pressure, electrocardiogram, and estimation of skin perfusion.
Materials and Methods
Serial pH and blood gas analyses were performed in 50 infants and children prior to and during general surgical operations. Thirty-four patients were boys and 16 girls. Twenty-seven patients were neonates and 21 infants were between 1 and 18 months of age (Fig 1). Two additional older children are included in the study. Eleven of the neonates were premature by weight.Thirty-seven emergency operations were performed. The diagnosis in the