Effect of haemorrhage on respiratory gas tensions in tissue fluid of the liver and the splanchnic organs.

In rabbits pO2, pCO2 and pH were measured in the liver and the intestinal trunk lymph as well as in arterial, portal and hepatic venous blood. In normal animals lymphatic pO2 was 40.1 +/- 2.8 mm Hg (intestinal) and 50.1 +/- 3.1 mm Hg (hepatic) respectively, and pCO2 38.0 +/- 1.0 mm Hg (intestinal) and 37.9 +/- 2.0 mm H (hepatic). In intestinal lymph representing the interstitial fluid of the splanchnic organs, pO2 did not differ significantly from the value observed in the blood of the portal vein. In the liver, pO2 was considerably higher in lymph than in hepatic venous blood. It was even higher than in the blood of the portal vein. Intestinal and hepatic pCO2 values did not differ significantly from the values in portal venous blood. The difference was significant only between liver lymph and hepatic venous blood pCO2. Acute haemorrhage by reducing arterial blood pressure to 55 mm Hg reduced markedly and in parallel lymphatic and venous pO2 without any major change in pCO2.