[The importance of hemorheological examinations in experimental limb ischemia-reperfusion injuries]

Rheological properties of the blood are determined by several factors and if they change it may be diagnostic for many diseases. It is well-known that during ischemia and reperfusion different free-radical liberating pathways are inducted besides the local physical and metabolical changes. These processes may harm red blood cells by increasing their rigidity and impairing their deformability. In ischemia-reperfusion models measurements of erythrocyte deformability is important. Characteristic alterations were observed in both rat and dog hind limb ischemia-reperfusion with vascular clamping on femoral vessels for 1 or 3 hours. Erythrocyte deformability was significantly impaired on the postoperative 1st-3rd days. The acute limb ischemia-reperfusion experimental models seem suitable for further in vivo rheological studies.