Abstract
We examined serum erythropoietin (EPO) levels before and after phlebotomy with three different volume replacement methods in dogs. Blood was sampled from each dog at 40ml/kg under general anesthesia.The dogs were divided into three groups. The first group was treated with homologous transfusion (BLOOD group), the second with 6% hydroxyethyl starch (HES group) and the third with artificial red blood cells (NRC group), at the same volume. EPO levels were measured at 2, 4, 6 hours, and on days 1, 2, 3, 5 and 7 after treatment. EPO levels reached maximum at 6 hours in the BLOOD group, at 2 days in the HES group and at 1 day in the NRC group. Maximum level was highest in the NRC group, followed by the HES and BLOOD groups in descending order. Accompanying the increase in EPO levels, the red blood cell count recovered to normal on days 7 and 5 in the HES and NRC groups, respectively. We conclude that the increase in EPO levels seems to be controlled mainly by two factors: the acute anemic condition which triggers the initial induction, and the duration and degree of production.
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