Gut mucosal lactate concentrations estimated by luminal equilibrium dialysis

Excerpt

Sir: We read with interest the study by Jyrki Tenhunen and colleagues investigating the effect of low systemic blood flow on concentrations of lactate in the small intestinal mucosa in pigs [1]. Mucosal concentrations of lactate were estimated by micro-dialysis, which was performed by perfusion of a tube of dialysis membrane inserted into the intestinal lumen. The observed increase in luminal concentrations of lactate was modest and occurred late, and it was concluded that the increase could largely be explained by the raised systemic values of lactate. In addition to low specificity, the method of luminal micro-dialysis may also possess low sensitivity as discussed by the authors. Other results might, therefore, have been obtained if the mucosal concentrations of lactate had been estimated using a more reliable method. …