Atrial natriuretic peptide-LI following subarachnoid haemorrhage in man.

Atrial natriuretic peptide-like immunoreactivity (ANP-LI) was measured in plasma from the external jugular vein (EJV) in the postoperative course of 11 patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage. Samples were taken on day, 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 and 9 after operation and ANP-LI levels were determined using radioimmunoassay. Ten healthy volunteers were investigated with one EJV plasma sample. Comparing the whole group of SAH patients with the control group, no significant differences in ANP-LI levels were found. In one patient very high ANP-LI levels were found together with high mean plasma sodium levels and high urine sodium excretion. This suggests that there is no general correlation between plasma ANP-LI and SAH; in occasional patients such a correlation may be secondary to changes in plasma sodium levels.