Rheological properties of commonly used plasma substitutes during preoperative normovolaemic acute haemodilution

Abstract

Preoperative normovolaemic acute haemodilution (PNAH) is used to reduce major blood loss during elective surgery. Considerable attention has been paid to colloid osmotic pressure, index of diffusibility and intravascular half-life of the currently available substitutes, but there is little information on their theological properties from in vivo studies. Forty patients undergoing elective aortic reconstruction were given 4% human albumin (HA), 3.5% dextran 40 (Dxt 40), 6% dextran 60 (Dxt 60), 6% hydroxyethylstarch 200 (HES) or modified fluid gelatin (Gel) during PNAH to produce a packed cell volume (PCV) of approximately 30%. Mean volumes of move than 1000 ml were infused. Blood samples were obtained before infusion, immediately after, and 1.5 h after the end of haemodilution. The following variables were measured: PCV, plasma viscosity, whole blood viscosity at measured and corrected PCV (0.45), and erythrocyte aggregation. Haemodynamic and metabolic variables were determined at the same time. The five substitutes had very different effects on red blood cell aggregation and low shear rate viscosity at corrected PCV. Red blood cell aggregation was reduced in the presence of HA, Dxt 40, but was increased moderately to markedly in the presence of the other substitutes in the following order: HES < Dxt 60 < Gel. The influence of the theological conditions on tissue oxygenation was assessed by measuring the concentration of lactic acid; this was unchanged after PNAH with HA or Dxt 40, but was increased in the presence of HES, Dxt 60 or Gel.