Objective: To determine whether sucralfate administration affects the tonometric measurement of gastric intramucosal pH (pHi).
Design: Non-randomized observational study.
Setting: General intensive care unit of a teaching hospital.
Patients: Twenty critically ill, mechanically ventilated, consecutively admitted patients requiring an arterial catheter and nasogastric tube.
Interventions: Tonometer placement and sucralfate administration.
Measurements and main results: We simultaneously determined tonometer saline PCO2 (PCO2i), arterial blood gases, pH of gastric juice and pHi. These parameters were evaluated immediately before sucralfate administration, and 2 h and 4 h after. We did not detect any change in either PCO2i or pHi after sucralfate administration (PCO2i: basal 6.4 +/- 1.7, 2 h 6.3 +/- 1.7, 4 h 6.3 +/- 1.7; pHi: basal 7.35 +/- 0.13, 2 h 7.36 +/- 0.12, 4 h 7.36 +/- 0.12).
Conclusions: Sucralfate does not affect the tonometric measurement of PCO2i and pHi.