Vanadium-contaminated perioperatively administered infusion solutions and drugs

Vanadium was determined in 51 solutions and drugs for intravenous administration and in 6 salt components of a multitrace element solution using electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry. The highest V contaminations were found in albumin solutions showing values of more than 600 microg/L V. Two heparines contained 14.3 and 122 microg/L V, respectively. In the ultratrace element solution, 14.8 microg/L vanadium were determined. The most contaminated salt of this solution was Mn(II)-DL-aspartate (12.8 microg V/g). The concentrations of unbound V (Vf) in the albumin solutions were between 0.31 and 299 microg/L. The manufacturing process is the reason for V contamination. The biological half-life of V administered intravenously by albumin solutions in man was about 125 h.