Biochemical Changes in the Femoral Venous Blood During Reconstructive Aortic Surgery

Acute arterial occlusion of the extremities may result in severe and complex metabolic derangement. In order to evaluate the metabolic changes during clamping and after declamping of the infrarenal aorta, biochemical changes such as the blood lactate, pyruvate, aldolase creatinine, myoglobin, CPK, GOT and LDH were measured in ten patients with infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms. Blood samples were taken from the common femoral vein before clamping and 30 minutes after clamping of the aorta. Samples were also taken just before declamping and again at 30 and 60 minutes after declamping. The lactate and pyruvate levels increased significantly during clamping and after declamping. The L/P ratio increased from 21.5±49 before clamping to 27.7±3.8 just before declamping. There were significant statistical differences between the levels before clamping and just before declamping. The aldolase leves also increased significantly after declamping of the aorta. The remaining differences were minimal changes throughout the aortic reconstruction. It is concluded that the L/P ratio indicates metabolic derangement during clamping of the infrarenal abdominalaorta.