Acid-Base Regulation and Body Temperature

During the last 20 years two groups of investigators have concerned themselves with the problem of acid-base regulation at various body temperatures. Each group, in professional isolation, pursued a separate path. Surgeons and anesthe- tists developed techniques and tools for hypothermic cardio-pulmonary by-pass operations and based their rationale for acid-base management on in vitro models of blood behavior. Physiologists and biochemists, on the other hand, endeavored to understand acid-base regulation in living organisms naturally subjected to changes in body temperature. Only in the last decade has there been an increasing awareness that each group could benefit from the other's experiences. With this goal in mind members of both groups were invited to present their views and observations in the hope of arriving at a better understanding of acid-base management during hypothermia and gaining a greater insight into the factors which control acid-base regulation during normothermia. This led to the presen- tation of the present volume with the aim of providing the clinician with a survey of present theories and the resulting strategies for management of the hypother- mic patient. Acknowledgment The editors express their great appreciation to Miss Augusta Dustan for her dedicated effort in the preparation and editing of the manuscripts. Contributors Heinz Becker, M. D. Department of Surgery, University of California Medical Center, Los An- geles, Los Angeles, CA 90024, U. S. A. Gerald D. Buckberg, M. D. Department of Surgery, University of California Medical Center, Los An- geles, CA 90024, U. S. A.