[Oxygen supply of the liver following hemodilution with an albumin solution].

Wistar rats were subjected to gradual blood replacement with albumin solution (hemodilution). Variation of oxygen tension (pO2) in the liver as well as parameters of oxygen transport in arterial and portal blood were measured. Tissue pO2 showed some increase after hematocrit dropped to 35-40% whereas tissue pO2 rapidly decreased after further dropping of the hematocrit. Hemoglobin saturation with oxygen grew in portal vein under moderate hemodilution. Left shift of the oxyhemoglobin dissociation curve and increase of the portal pO2 occurred simultaneously. These changes in portal blood could be a cause of the liver tissue pO2 increase in early steps of the hemodilution.