Search

Background: During fluid infusion therapy, plasma proteins are diluted and leak from the intravascular space, which alters the colloid osmotic pressure (COP) and potentially affects coagulation. We hypothesised that acetated Ringer's and starch solution, alone or in combination, influence these mechanisms differently.Materials and Methods: On different occasions, 10 male volunteers were infused with 20 ml/kg acetated Ringer's and 10 ml/kg 6% hyroxyethyl starch 130/0.4 (Voluven(®) ) alone or in combination (first with starch solution followed by Ringer's solution). Blood samples were collected every 30-min for measurements of COP, blood haemoglobin, platelets, and plasma concentrations of albumin, immunoglobulins (IgG and IgM), coagulation factor VII (FVII), fibrinogen, cystatin C, activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) and prothrombin international normalised ratio (PT-INR). Changes were compared with the haemoglobin-derived plasma dilution.Results: The COP increased by 8.4% (SD 3) with starch and decreased by 26.2% (7.9) with Ringer's. These infusions diluted the plasma by 23.4% (5.3) and 18.7% (4.9) respectively. The COP changes in the combined experiment followed the same pattern as the individual infusions. Albumin and IgG changes in excess of the plasma dilution were very subtle. The intravascular contents of the IgM and platelets decreased, whereas FVII, fibrinogen and cystatin C increased. PT-INR increased by 1/3 of the plasma dilution, whereas changes in APTT did not correlate with the plasma dilution.Conclusions: The starch increased COP and only minor capillary leak occurred in healthy volunteers. The fluid-induced plasma dilution correlated with mild impairment of the extrinsic coagulation pathway but not of the intrinsic pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Plethysmographic measurement of haemoglobin concentration (SpHb), pleth variability index (PVI), and perfusion index (PI) with the Radical-7 apparatus is growing in popularity. Previous studies have indicated that SpHb has poor precision, particularly when PI is low.We wanted to study the effects of a sympathetic block on these measurements. Methods. Twenty patients underwent hand surgery under brachial plexus block with one Radical-7 applied to each arm. Measurements were taken up to 20 min after the block had been initiated. Venous blood samples were also drawn from the non-blocked arm. Results. During the last 10 min of the study, SpHb had increased by 8.6%. The PVI decreased by 54%, and PI increased by 188% in the blocked arm (median values). All these changes were statistically significant. In the non-blocked arm, these parameters did not change significantly. Conclusions. Brachial plexus block significantly altered SpHb, PVI, and PI, which indicates that regional nervous control of thearmgreatly affects plethysmographic measurements obtained by the Radical-7. After the brachial plexus block, SpHb increased and PVI decreased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor is presented related to Nephrocheck, an apparatus for early detection of acute kidney injury (AKI).

Background: Although hyperoncotic albumin may be used to recruit oedema, its effectiveness remains unclear. Therefore, this issue was studied during infusion experiments in healthy volunteers.Method: Fifteen healthy volunteers (mean age 31 years) received an infusion of 3 mL/kg of 20% albumin over 30 minutes. Their urinary excretion was recorded, and venous blood samples were taken to measure blood haemoglobin (Hb), haematocrit, colloid osmotic pressure as well as plasma albumin and sodium concentrations on 15 occasions over a period of 300 minutes. Plasma volume expansion was taken as the inverse of the fluid-induced dilution of venous plasma, as given by the blood Hb concentration. Mass balance calculations were used to estimate the mobilisation of fluid from the tissues.Results: Maximum plasma volume expansion was reached 20 minutes after completing an infusion of 20% albumin. Urinary excretion was effectively increased, and the mobilised fluid from the tissues at 300 minutes amounted to 3.4 ± 1.2 mL for each infused mL of 20% albumin, of which 19% was of intracellular origin. The urinary excretion correlated strongly with the amount of recruited fluid (R2  = 0.87) and inversely with the plasma volume expansion (R2  = 0.53).Conclusion: The infusion of 20% albumin significantly increases the plasma volume by recruiting interstitial fluid. After completing the infusion, there is a delay of 20 minutes until maximum plasma dilution is reached, and the duration of the plasma volume expansion lasts far beyond 5 hours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Crystalloid fluid requires 30 min for complete distribution throughout the extracellular fluid space and tends to cause long-standing peripheral edema. A kinetic analysis of the distribution of Ringer's acetate with increasing infusion rates was performed to obtain a better understanding of these characteristics of crystalloids.Methods: Data were retrieved from six studies in which 76 volunteers and preoperative patients had received between 300 ml and 2375 ml of Ringer's acetate solution at a rate of 20-80 ml/min (0.33-0.83 ml/min/kg). Serial measurements of the blood hemoglobin concentration were used as inputs in a kinetic analysis based on a two-volume model with micro-constants, using software for nonlinear mixed effects.Results: The micro-constants describing distribution (k12) and elimination (k10) were unchanged when the rate of infusion increased, with half-times of 16 and 26 min, respectively. In contrast, the micro-constant describing how rapidly the already distributed fluid left the peripheral space (k21) decreased by 90% when the fluid was infused more rapidly, corresponding to an increase in the half-time from 3 to 30 min. The central volume of distribution (V(c)) doubled.Conclusion: The return of Ringer's acetate from the peripheral fluid compartment to the plasma was slower with high than with low infusion rates. Edema is a normal consequence of plasma volume expansion with this fluid, even in healthy volunteers. The results are consistent with the view that the viscoelastic properties of the interstitial matrix are responsible for the distribution and redistribution characteristics of crystalloid fluid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A commercially available pulse oximeter that reports blood haemoglobin (Hb) concentration is evaluated. This study considers whether this device can provide serial Hb data that would be sufficiently reliable for volume kinetic analysis of infusion fluids. Methods: Forty infusions of 5 or 10 ml/kg of acetated Ringer's solution were given over 15 min in 10 healthy volunteers. Hb was measured on 17 different occasions over 120 min using the Radical 7 pulse oximeter and compared with the result of invasive blood sampling (control). A one-volume kinetic model was applied to each data series. The pulse oximeter also reported the perfusion index (PI). Results: The median deviation between the 680 invasive and non-invasive Hb samples (the accuracy) was 1.6% and the absolute median deviation (precision) was 4.6%. Between-subject factors explained half of the variation in the difference between non-invasive vs. invasive sampling. Ten of the 40 non-invasive series of Hb values were discarded from kinetic analysis due to poor quality. The remaining 30 series showed a smaller distribution volume for the infused fluid when kinetic analysis was based on the non-invasive method (3.0 vs. 5.3 l; P<0.001). This was due to co-variance with the PI, which exaggerated the decrease in Hb caused by the infusions. The non-invasive method might provide useful kinetic data at the group level, but individual curves deviated too much from the invasive data to be reliable. Conclusions: Non-invasive measurement of the Hb concentration during volume loading could not provide useful kinetic data for individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The gallbladder mucosa secretes hydrogen ions and is covered by mucus. The environmental conditions for bacterial colonization are similar to those in the stomach. Gallbladder stones often contain DNA from enteric bacteria, but no compelling evidence demonstrates that Helicobacter spp. have been present. The aim of this study was to establish bacterial DNA profiles in cholesterol gallstones with special reference to Helicobacter pylori. Methods: Cholesterol gallstones from 20 patients were subjected to polymerase chain reaction, bacterial profiling by temporal temperature gradient gel electrophoresis, automated DNA sequencing, and Southern blot analysis using a Helicobacter sp. specific primer. A nested ureI-PCR assay was used to discriminate between gastric and non-gastric H. pylori. Results: TTGE, partial 16S rDNA sequencing, and hybridization analysis revealed the presence of DNA presumably representing a mixed bacterial flora in cholesterol gallstones, including H. pylori in the gallstone centres in 11 out of 20 patients. In three cases, the ureI-PCR assay revealed non-gastric H. pylori. Conclusions: These data support the presence of DNA from a mixed bacterial population, including H. pylori in cholesterol gallstones, reflecting either that H. pylori is an indigenous part of a flora in the stone-containing gallbladder or, alternatively, that H. pylori colonization in the biliary tract predisposes to cholesterol gallstone formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigates the prevalence of gallstone disease in Sweden. Identification on the symptoms of gallstone disease; Evaluation of differences between age groups; Capability of ethanol to form cholesterol gallstone.