[Practical methods of long-term normovolemic hemodilution]

Permanent haemodilution aims at lowering the level of blood viscosity during several weeks by maintaining the haemotocrity at about 30-32 per cent. In surgery this is achieved at the end of the operation, before the patient comes to, by replacing the necessary quantities of blood, calculated using a table, by the equivalent quantity of a fluid gelatine solution. In non-surgery it is achieved in the same way but in several successive stages. Experience shows that when done in this way, haemodilution is easily practicable, rarely counter-indicated, and almost always well tolerated.