Increasing arterial blood pressure with norepinephrine does not improve microcirculatory blood flow: a prospective study

Table 3 Changes in arterial lactate, hemoglobin, blood gases and oxygen saturations as mean arterial pressure was increased from 65 mmHg to 85 mmHg with norepinephrine

	Mean arterial blood pressure			ANOVA	Linear trend
	65 mmHg	75 mmHg	85 mmHg	P	P
Arterial lactate (mmol/L)	2.6 ± 2.8	2.4 ± 2.7	2.5 ± 2.7	0.27	0.32
Hemoglobin (g%)	9.6 ± 2.3	9.6 ± 2.4	9.6 ± 2.3	0.76	0.79
Arterial pH	7.26 ± 0.11	7.26 ± 0.11	7.26 ± 0.11	0.44	0.29
Arterial PCO ₂ (mmHg)	39 ± 10	39 ± 10	40 ± 11	0.73	0.57
Arterial PO ₂ (mmHg)	112 ± 48	113 ± 45	108 ± 34	0.39	0.25
Arterial HCO ₃ ^- (mmol/l)	18 ± 5	18 ± 5	18 ± 5	0.50	0.43
Arterial oxygen saturation	0.96 ± 0.02	0.96 ± 0.02	0.96 ± 0.03	0.67	0.44
Mixed venous pH	7.23 ± 0.11	7.24 ± 0.10	7.24 ± 0.10	0.78	0.49
Mixed venous PCO ₂ (mmHg)	45 ± 11	45 ± 11	45 ± 11	0.90	0.69
Mixed venous PO ₂ (mmHg)	42 ± 7	43 ± 7	44 ± 8*	0.04	0.02
Mixed venous HCO ₃ ^- (mmol/l)	19 ± 5	19 ± 5	19 ± 5	0.18	0.08
Mixed venous oxygen saturation	0.70 ± 0.08	0.72 ± 0.08*	0.73 ± 0.07*	0.01	0.005
Central venous oxygen saturation	0.74 ± 0.08	0.76 ± 0.08*	0.77 ± 0.08*	0.01	0.004
Arterial anion gap (mmol/L)	18 ± 6	19 ± 6	20 ± 7	0.16	0.06

* P < 0.05 vs. basal (Dunnett post hoc test after repeated measures ANOVA).
ANOVA = analysis of variance; HCO₃ = bicarbonate; pCO₂ = partial pressure of carbon dioxide; pO₂ = partial pressure of oxygen.

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