[Hemodilution in patients with multiple morbidity and peripheral arterial occlusive disease]

The treatment of multi-morbid patients suffering from peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD) is rendered difficult due to concomitant diseases such as coronary heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary affection, arterial hypertension or diabetes mellitus. Haemodilution can be a clinically efficient therapy for some of the concomitant diseases as well. It is, however, necessary to use a weak colloidal solution which has no additional volume effect as an iso-oncotic substance. Hydroxyethyl starch 200/0.5 6% meets all these demands. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study over a period of 6 weeks a marked and significant increase of almost 40% in painfree walking distance was achieved for 19 of 37 multi-morbid patients with PAOD II by moderate hypervolaemic haemodilution with venesections. Besides the clinical improvement, blood fluidity also increased through a reduction in haematocrit, plasma viscosity, and erythrocyte aggregation.