Table 1.

Laboratory characteristics of control animals and animals with peritonitis (values are given as mean ± SD)

	Controls (n = 10)		Wilcoxon	Peritonitis (n = 10)		Wilcoxon	Welch rank
	Baseline	27 hours	( P value)	Baseline	27 hours	( P value)	( P value)
Weight (kg)	39.1 ± 3.7			40.2 ± 2.3
Core temperature (°C)	38.50 ± 0.65	40.59 ± 0.34	0.0039**	38.16 ± 0.76	40.77 ± 0.37	0.002**	0.39
Mean arterial pressure (mmHg)	76.0 ± 14.3	88.6 ± 12.7	0.002**	78.6 ± 12.5	66.5 ± 19.9	0.16	0.009**
Heart rate (bpm)	80.1 ± 16.6	82.9 ± 20.7	0.82	68.5 ± 12.2	143.9 ± 25.4	0.002**	0.00009****
Cardiac output (l/min)	5.0 ± 1.3	4.6 ± 0.6	0.50	4.5 ± 0.9	4.8 ± 1.2	0.84	0.92
Stroke volume	63.2 ± 9.3	57.7 ± 10.1	0.65	65.9 ± 7.1	39.1 ± 13.7	0.004**	0.0011**
Sodium (mmol/l)	135.5 ± 1.9	141.5 ± 2.4	0.004**	134.3 ± 2.5	131.4 ± 2.6	0.19	0.00008****
Potassium (mmol/l)	4.0 ± 0.4	4.1 ± 0.2	0.61	4.0 ± 0.2	4.1 ± 0.4	0.76	0.76
Glucose (mmol/l)	8.4 ± 1.3	5.4 ± 0.4	0.002**	9.4 ± 1.3	5.0 ± 1.0	0.002**	0.21
Lactate (mmol/l)	1.2 ± 1.1	1.1 ± 0.4	0.77	1.0 ± 0.6	1.8 ± 0.7	0.05*	0.016*
pH	7.52 ± 0.04	7.47 ± 0.02	0.002**	7.51 ± 0.04	7.41 ± 0.06	0.004**	0.010*
Bicarbonate (mmol/l)	32.6 ± 1.8	31.4 ± 3.0	0.27	32.2 ± 1.5	26.9 ± 2.8	0.004**	0.004**
Base excess (mmol/l)	9.1 ± 2.7	7.9 ± 2.8	0.39	9.3 ± 1.9	2.5 ± 3.6	0.006**	0.006**
TNFα (pg/ml)	86.6 ± 76.2	60.9 ± 22.7	0.30	69.6 ± 46.9	317.6 ± 187.8	0.006**	0.002**

Wilcoxon test was used for comparison of baseline and 27-hour measurements within each group. Welch test of ranked data was used to compare 27-hour measurements between controls and animals with peritonitis. (^* = P <0.05, ^** = P <0.01, ^**** = P <0.0001). TNFα, tumour necrosis factor alpha.