Ringer's lactate with or without 3% dextran-60 as volume expanders during abdominal aortic surgery.

OBJECTIVE

To compare a solution of 3% dextran-60 (D60) in Ringer's lactate (RL) with RL alone as maintenance fluids for abdominal aortic surgery.

DESIGN

Randomized control trial of 20 consecutive patients undergoing elective aortic reconstructive surgery.

SETTING

A surgical ICU in a university hospital.

PATIENTS

Consecutive patients, mean age 64 yr. Five patients had abdominal aneurysm, 12 had aortic obstruction disease, and three had aortic renal bypass surgery. These patients were followed for 1 month.

INTERVENTIONS

Pulmonary artery occlusion pressure of at least 10 mm Hg and a urine output greater than 30 mL/h were used to guide the intraoperative fluid infusion rates, which were 36 and 104 mL/kg of D60 and RL, respectively (ratio 1:2.9).

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

Body weight at 24 hr had increased more with RL (7.8 kg) than with D60 (3.2 kg) infusion (p less than .01), despite intraoperative urine volumes of 151 and 92 mg/kg with RL and D60, respectively. Total intravascular albumin decreased from 0.7 g/kg (1.4 to 0.7 g/kg) in both groups, corresponding to a plasma volume (PV) loss of 13 mg/kg without fluid infusions. A total intravascular dextran of 0.5 g/kg resulted in a PV expansion at 1 hr of 4.4 mL/kg above preoperative level, in sharp contrast to 7.0 mL/kg decrease in PV with RL. Of the intraoperative 3% D60 and RL infused, an estimated 51% D60 and 6% RL remained as PV expansion at 1 hr.

CONCLUSIONS

A diluted colloid solution in Ringer's lactate is of significant value in maintaining intravascular volumes and hemodynamics during and after major operative procedures.