peritoneal potassium and ph measurement in early diagnosis of acute mesenteric ischemia in rats

background in contemporary practice, acute mesenteric ischemia (ami) remains a serious cause of morbidity and mortality in abdominal emergencies. objectives we report the measurement of peritoneal fluid potassium and ph on a small series of rats that developed extensive ami following the surgical ligation of superior mesenteric vessels and compare the results with control groups. materials and methods a total of 32 rats were used in our study. they were divided into four groups with eight rats in each one and received following treatments: group i (g-i), 60-minute controls; group ii (g-ii), 120-minute controls; group iii (g-iii), 60-minute cases; and group iv (g-iv), 120-minute cases. in case groups, the small bowel mesenteric root was double-ligated and an arrow single-lumen central venous catheter was passed through the skin to the peritoneum. in control groups, the catheter was placed without any intervention. postoperatively, peritoneal lavage was performed at 60 (g-i, g-iii) and 120 minutes (g-ii, g-iv). results the mean peritoneal potassium values were 1.3 ± 0.3, 1.97 ± 1.06, 2.14 ± 0.89, and 3.28 ± 0.66 mmol/l in g-i, g-ii, g-iii, and g-iv, respectively. there were significant differences between g-iii and g-iv (p = 0.002), between g-i and g-iii (p = 0.024), and between g-ii and g-iv (p = 0.001). the mean values of peritoneal fluid ph were 7.1 ± 0.26, 6.82 ± 0.22, 6.66 ± 0.16, and 6.78 ± 0.04 in g-i, g-ii, g-iii, and g-iv, respectively, which indicated significant differences between g-i and g-iii (p = 0.001) and between g-ii and g-iv (p = 0.018). there was a significant correlation between peritoneal fluid potassium and intestine ischemic grade (f = 4.77, p = 0.048) conclusions our findings show that for early detection of bowel ischemia, an evaluation of intraperitoneal potassium and ph was useful and with prolongation of ischemia, potassium changes were more significant.