Figure 2.

Changes in pH and BE in a typical patient from the beginning of the operation until the end of CPB. With the onset of the heart-lung machine at time point zero, the patient received 1.1 l of NaCl as priming fluid. Subsequently, he received 1.8 l of Bretschneider solution for cardioplegic arrest. For neutralization of dilutional acidosis, bicarbonate was administered four times in the amounts of 50 mmol, 40 mmol, 20 mmol and 30 mmol