Summary: | Background and Objectives: During laparoscopy, the increase of the carbon dioxide tension may increase the synthesis of hydrochloric acid in the parietal cells of the stomach; the source of the secreted hydrogen ions is carbonic acid derived from the hydration of carbon dioxide. The present report tests this hypothesis by correlating the changes of end-tidal PCO2 (ETCO2) with the pH of the gastric juice in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Methods: 40 adult patients were investigated: 20 controls, and 20 patients receiving 100 mg nizatidine intravenously, prior to surgery. In both groups, the ETCO2 was measured by capnography and the pH of the gastric juice was monitored before carbon dioxide insufflation and at the end of laparoscopy prior to carbon dioxide
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