Abstract
In 29 newborn infants subjected to surgery for congenital anomalies, the extracellular and intracellular acid-base status, and the sodium, potassium and plasma lactate levels were observed from the second to the seventh postoperative days. During anaesthesia and surgery metabolic acidosis developed but improved spontaneously by the end of the first postoperative day. The metabolic acidosis gradually developing during the postoperative phase was due probably to hypoalimentation. The plasma lactate level decreased on the first days, then increased slightly; the level showed no statistically significant correlation with the acid-base equilibrium. In the postoperative period the sodium level decreased gradually in the plasma while in the erythrocytes it was relatively constant. The diminished plasma sodium/potasium ratio was mainly a result of the decreased plasma sodium concentration.
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