Effects of different non-haemic fluids in open-heart surgery. An experimental study in the pig.

Abstract

Extracorporeal circulation was established in pigs in order to evaluate different types of non-haemic priming fluids. In addition to clinical chemical analyses of blood and serum constituents, the main guide-lines for this evaluation were the need for electrolyte solutions to maintain an adequate blood volume and arterial pressure and the changes in extracellular volume, measured with radioactive sulfate. The priming fluid in clinical use at our hospital contains albumin and large amounts of glucose and has an osmolality of 460 mosmol/kg water. When albumin was omitted, the need for additional fluid increased considerably. Less than 700 ml was required when the serum total protein concentration was reduced to about 60% of the pre-operative value, whereas more than three times and seven times as much were needed in animals were the protein levels fell to 50% and 33%, respectively. The use of an isotonic priming fluid led to a slight increase in the need for additional infusions, but the sulfate space did n...