Continuous intra-arterial blood pH monitoring in rabbits with acid-base disorders

The acid-base balance of arterial blood is important for the clinical management of seriously ill patients, especially patients with acute lung injury or acute respiratory distress syndrome. We developed a novel fluorosensor for continuous blood pH monitoring and evaluated its performance both in vitro and in vivo in rabbits with acid-base disorders. The pH sensor is made of N-allyl-4-piperazinyl-1, 8-napthalimide and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, which were bonded at the distal end of the optical fiber. The fluorescence intensity increased as the pH decreased with good reproducibility, selectivity and linearity in the pH range of 6-8. The pH measurement precision was 0.03 ± 0.03 pH units with a bias of −0.02 ± 0.04 (n = 105) and −0.00 ± 0.05 pH units (n = 189) in rabbits with metabolic and respiratory acid-base orders, respectively. The optical pH sensor can accurately measure pH fluctuations with a fast response and is a promising candidate for continuous in-line measurements of blood pH in critical care patients.