[The substitution effect of human albumin in postoperative aseptic and septic disease courses]

Under standardized conditions in 102 patients the necessity and the efficiency of human albumin addition in the postoperative phase following abdominal and vascular operations was examined by measuring the colloid osmotic pressure in plasma (COPp). After vascular operations in 3 of the patients (8.6%) and after abdominal operations in 49 of the patients (73.1%) human albumin had to be substituted. During aseptic courses 3 hours and 24 hours after substitution with 5% or 20% solutions of human albumin significant increase of COPp was measured compared to the initial values. Since in septic courses a positive effect of human albumin addition using a 5% solution is uncertain and because the hereby necessary addition of relatively large fluid volume increases the danger of an "overload", only 20% solutions of human albumin should be used in such cases if indicated.