[Clinical aspects of hemodilution (author's transl)]

Acute normovolemic hemodilution is a most practicable method to avoid the transfusion of homologous blood in all those cases of surgical interventions which make expect an intraoperative loss of blood up to 30% of plasma volume. After introduction of anaesthesia 2-4 bags of blood are taken from the patient and simultaneously exchanged for an equal quantity of plasma substitutes. According to the amount of operative loss of blood the withdrawn blood will be retransfused still during operation or in the course of the same day. Under normovolemic hemodilution cardiac output. Coronary perfusion, and oxygen transport capacity of blood will increase due to decreased blood viscosity and consequently an optimum oxygen supply of tissues will be guaranteed, even if hematocrit has reached 25% (corresponding to 8 to 10 g% Hb). The main intention of Hemodilution is to be seen in minimizing the irreversible loss of valuable autologous blood cells and plasma components and therefore this method helps to use blood and plasma components more economically.