During the last 20 years two groups of investigators have concerned
themselves with the problem of acid-base regulation at various body
temperatures. Each group, in professional isolation, pursued a separate
path. Surgeons and anesthe- tists developed techniques and tools for
hypothermic cardio-pulmonary by-pass operations and based their
rationale for acid-base management on in vitro models of blood behavior.
Physiologists and biochemists, on the other hand, endeavored to
understand acid-base regulation in living organisms naturally subjected
to changes in body temperature. Only in the last decade has there been
an increasing awareness that each group could benefit from the other's
experiences. With this goal in mind members of both groups were invited
to present their views and observations in the hope of arriving at a
better understanding of acid-base management during hypothermia and
gaining a greater insight into the factors which control acid-base
regulation during normothermia. This led to the presen- tation of the
present volume with the aim of providing the clinician with a survey of
present theories and the resulting strategies for management of the
hypother- mic patient. Acknowledgment The editors express their great
appreciation to Miss Augusta Dustan for her dedicated effort in the
preparation and editing of the manuscripts. Contributors Heinz Becker,
M. D. Department of Surgery, University of California Medical Center,
Los An- geles, Los Angeles, CA 90024, U. S. A. Gerald D. Buckberg, M. D.
Department of Surgery, University of California Medical Center, Los An-
geles, CA 90024, U. S. A.
