Influence of contrast media (iopromide, ioxaglate, gadolinium-DOTA) on blood viscosity, erythrocyte morphology and platelet function.

The influence of contrast media on blood viscosity, erythrocyte morphology and platelet function was studied. In vitro blood was incubated with iopromide (Ultravist), ioxaglate (Hexabrix) or gadolinium-DOTA (Dotarem). Plasma viscosity and whole blood viscosity were measured and the mean erythrocyte volume and morphology were assessed. Platelet aggregation was measured with a PFA-100 instrument. In an ex vivo study on patients receiving these contrast media the same measurements as described above were done. All contrast media increased blood viscosity at high shear rate in a dose dependent manner (e.g. with ioxaglate: from 4.9+/-0.2 mPa x s to 8.6+/-0.5 mPa x s at 160 mg I/ml), decreased low shear viscosity (for ioxaglate: from 44.9+/-2.5 to 27.7+/-4.8 mPa x s), increased plasma viscosity (ioxaglate: from 1.2+/-0.1 to 2.8+/-1.3 mPa x s), decreased the mean erythrocytic volume (ioxaglate: from 89.7+/-1.4 to 79.7+/-2.0 fl) and decreased platelet aggregation. Iopromide induced an echinocytic shape transformation of erythrocytes. Ex vivo a decreased hematocrit and a consecutively decreased whole blood viscosity were found with iopromide and ioxaglate. We conclude that contrast media influenced blood rheology, erythrocytes and platelet aggregation in vitro and ex vivo.