Haemorheological and functional changes in intermittent claudication following plasma exchange with haemaccel
Issue title: Proceedings of the Third European Conference on Clinical Hemorheology. Part III. Baden-Baden, F.R. Germany, 24–27 August 1983. Symposium IV. Rheological Aspects of Plasma Separation and Plasmapheresis
Guest editors: Alfred L. Copley and Holger Schmid-Schönbein
Affiliations: [a] St. George’s Hospital, London, England | [b] St. James’s Hospital, London, England
Abstract: Six claudicants without rest pain or diabetes were included in this study. 2000ml plasma were replaced by 1500ml Haemaccel and 500ml isotonic NaCl solution at weekly intervals. The following tests were carried out before, immediately after, and on the 1st, 2nd and 5th days following the first treatment: whole blood viscosity at 95, 2.5 and 0.7s shear rates, plasma viscosity, red cell filtration, fibrinogen, ESR, full blood count, calf blood flow measured at rest and at reactive hyperaemia, brachial and ankle systolic pressures, and exercise step test. There was a significant decrease of plasma viscosity, fibrinogen and whole blood viscosity at each shear rate after treatment, returning to the baseline values between 5 and 7 days. There was no improvement in the functional tests despite the changes observed in viscosity. No adverse side-effects resulting from the use of Haemaccel were observed.
