Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 17, 2026
Modeling Neonatal Intraventricular Hemorrhage Through Intraventricular Injection of Hemoglobin
Published on: August 25, 2022
Effect of intravenous hydroxyethyl starch on the accuracy of measuring hemoglobin concentration
Hans-Jürgen Dieterich1, Birgid Neumeister, Arzu Agildere
1Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Tübingen University Hospital, Tübingen D-72076 Tübingen, Germany.
Study Objective:
To determine if intravenous hydroxyethylstarch (HES) affects the accuracy of hemoglobin (Hb) measurements, as artificial colloids are known to increase red blood cell sedimentation rates.
Design:
Prospective, randomized study.
Setting:
Tertiary-care academic medical institution.
Patients And Interventions:
We randomized 40 surgical American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status I and II patients undergoing preoperative autologous blood donation before elective orthopedic surgery. Patients were randomized to receive volume replacement with 500 mL of 6% HES 200,000/0.5 or 500 mL of electrolyte solution. Measurements of Hb concentration and leukocyte count were performed using an analyzer with a suction needle sampling from the bottom of the test tube. Measurements were performed after mixing and repeated after a 10-minute period of upright positioning of the tube (at rest).
Main Results:
In the study group that received HES, Hb levels were increased above baseline after resting (mean increase to 151% of baseline values, P < .01), whereas the leukocyte count was decreased (mean decrease to 39% of baseline values, P < .01). No difference between baseline and resting measurements were observed in patients who received intravenous crystalloids. In addition, we repeatedly measured the Hb concentration in an unstirred tube with and without the addition of HES. In blood samples containing HES, the Hb concentration was increased above baseline after 2.5 minutes of resting, compared with 30 minutes without HES addition (P < .05).
Conclusions:
Mixing of test tube contents before sampling is critical for accurate measurement of the Hb concentration in the blood of patients who received intravenous HES.
Related Concept Videos
01:18Effects of EDTA on End-Point Detection Methods
In the visual method, metal-ion indicators (metallochromic dyes), which have distinct colors in their free and complex forms, are added to the mixture to signal the titration's end point. They form stable complexes with metal ions, but these complexes are weaker than the corresponding metal–EDTA complexes. As a result, EDTA...
01:15Determination of Multiple Dosing Parameters: Steady-State, Minimum and Maximum Concentrations