Related Experiment Videos
Haemodynamic changes after high-volume plasmapheresis in patients with chronic and acute liver failure
J O Clemmesen1, F S Larsen, E Ejlersen
1Department of Hepatology, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
Objective:
To evaluate the haemodynamic changes during treatment with high-volume plasmapheresis in patients with chronic liver failure compared to patients with acute liver failure.
Methods:
Haemodynamic measurements were performed with a Swan-Ganz catheter and thermodilution technique. High-volume plasmapheresis (mean plasma exchange of 8.6 litres) was performed in 11 patients with chronic and 16 patients with acute liver failure.
Results:
In patients with chronic liver failure, systemic vascular resistance index was unaltered: 1193 +/- 494 dynscm-5m2 before treatment versus 1180 +/- 399 dynscm-5m2 after. Mean arterial pressure increased from 69 +/- 11 mmHg to 78 +/- 13 mmHg (P < 0.05) and cardiac output increased from 8.1 +/- 2.4 l/min to 8.9 +/- 2.4 l/min (P < 0.05) during high-volume plasmapheresis. In patients with acute liver failure, systemic vascular resistance index increased from 1154 +/- 628 dynscm-5m2 to 1614 +/- 738 dynscm-5m2 (P < 0.001). In this group mean arterial pressure increased from 78 +/- 16 mmHg to 95 +/- 10 mmHg (P < 0.001) and cardiac output decreased from 9.6 +/- 3.7 l/min to 8.2 +/- 2.9 l/min (P < 0.01).
Conclusion:
The hyperkinetic circulation in chronic and acute patients was differently affected by high-volume plasmapheresis. We suggest that in chronic liver failure both portosystemic shunting and chronic peripheral vasodilation may contribute to the hyperkinetic syndrome, whereas in acute liver failure a humoral factor which can be removed by high-volume plasmapheresis is a main contributor.