The effects of Hespan on serum and lymphatic albumin, globulin, and coagulant protein.

The effects of hydroxyethyl starch (Hespan) resuscitation on serum and lymphatic proteins following hemorrhagic shock were studied in 34 splenectomized dogs. Following shock, five randomly assigned treatment groups received the shed blood plus 50 mL/kg of salt solution (RL) or RL with varying concentrations (0.22-1.5 gm/kg) of Hespan. Each dog received 50 ml/kg/d of the test solution for three days after shock. Prothrombin time, partial thromboplastin time, thrombin time, total serum protein, albumin, globulin, and coagulant protein activity of fibrinogen, prothrombin, and factor VIII were measured before shock, at the end of shock, following resuscitation, and on day 3; thoracic duct lymph values were obtained on day 3. Hespan-supplemented resuscitation lowered all serum proteins including albumin, globulin and coagulant proteins; concomitantly, the lymph protein rose after Hespan resuscitation. This decrease in serum proteins and rise in lymph proteins parallels similar results after albumin resuscitation in man and animals and suggests that Hespan induces an oncotically controlled extravascular protein relocation. Further studies on the significance of these findings need to be conducted.