[Human albumin therapy and prognostic value of determining colloid osmotic pressure at the surgical intensive care station].

367 patients treated on the intensive care unit were prospectively documented during a 1-year observation period. Plasma colloid osmotic pressure (COP) was daily measured. Human albumin therapy was required only in 10% of all patients. These mainly long-term (greater than 10 days) treated patients also showed the lowest levels of COP (minimum COP means: 21 cmH2O (= 15.4 mmHg]. In the majority of all cases an extreme decrease of COP (less than 20 cmH2O (= 14.7 mmHg] was due to sepsis associated with an unfavorable prognosis. 67% of all patients with at least a single decrease of COP less than 20 cmH2O died, as compared to 15% of the patients where the COP never fell below 25 cmH2O. When a low COP was secondary to sepsis, the therapeutic benefit of an albumin therapy could not be evaluated.