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Errors of measurement for blood volume parameters: a meta-analysis
Christopher J Gore1, Will G Hopkins, Caroline M Burge
1Department of Physiology, Australian Institute of Sport, P.O. Box 176, Belconnen, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. chris.gore@ausport.gov.au
Journal of Applied Physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985)
|June 25, 2005
Summary
Accurate measurement of red blood cell volume (V(RBC)) is crucial. Meta-analysis shows 51chromium-labeled red blood cells (V(RBC,51Cr)) and hemoglobin mass (M(Hb,CO)) offer the lowest error for research.
Area of Science:
- Physiology
- Biomedical Engineering
- Clinical Diagnostics
Background:
- Red blood cell volume (V(RBC)) is vital for diagnosing polycythemia, monitoring erythropoietin therapy, and understanding oxygen transport.
- Existing methods for measuring V(RBC) and related parameters have not had their error margins well-defined.
- Accurate blood volume assessment is critical in various physiological and clinical contexts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically evaluate and compare the measurement errors of different techniques used for determining red blood cell volume (V(RBC)) and hemoglobin mass (M(Hb)).
- To identify the most reliable methods for research applications and clinical use in assessing blood volume and oxygen transport.
- To provide a quantitative error analysis for V(RBC) measurement techniques.
Main Methods:
- A meta-analysis was conducted on 346 error estimates for V(RBC) measurement techniques, including Evans blue (V(RBC,Evans)), 51chromium-labeled red blood cells (V(RBC,51Cr)), and carbon monoxide (CO) rebreathing (V(RBC,CO)).
- Hemoglobin mass using the carbon monoxide method (M(Hb,CO)) was also included in the error analysis.
- Data were collected from studies involving athletes and active/inactive subjects under diverse experimental conditions.
Main Results:
- 51chromium-labeled red blood cells (V(RBC,51Cr)) and hemoglobin mass (M(Hb,CO)) demonstrated significantly lower coefficients of variation (2.8% and 2.2%, respectively) compared to Evans blue (V(RBC,Evans)) and CO rebreathing (V(RBC,CO)) (both 6.7%).
- The primary source of error for V(RBC,Evans) was the measurement of plasma volume using Evans blue dye.
- Error in V(RBC,CO) was largely attributed to laboratories with higher errors in M(Hb,CO) measurements.
Conclusions:
- For research on blood-related changes in oxygen transport, V(RBC,51Cr) and M(Hb,CO) are the preferred methods due to their superior accuracy and lower measurement error.
- While V(RBC,Evans) exhibits higher error, it remains suitable for clinical blood-volume measurements when performed with careful attention to technique.
- Understanding and minimizing measurement error is essential for reliable V(RBC) and M(Hb) assessments in both research and clinical settings.