Metabolic Alkalosis in the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit—A Prospective Observational Study

This prospective study on postcardiotomy infants revealed a much lower incidence of metabolic alkalosis than historical data. Physicochemical analysis of the blood samples for mechanisms underlying metabolic alkalosis found that its development is not entirely dependent on overt volume depletion or significant chloride loss. The administration of chloride-containing solutions appears to mitigate both the occurrence and severity of metabolic alkalosis.