Plasma volume determination with ICG dye in changes of intravascular volume. Dye dilution method before and after autologous blood donation and after retransfusion in the human

OBJECTIVE: The determination of the current intravascular plasma volume with the dye dilution method is of major interest in therapeutic intervention and scientific research. The use of the rapidly eliminated dye indocyanine green (ICG) allows to perform plasma volume measurements serially and to observe a time course. The following questions should be investigated in the present study: 1. Do the plasma volume (PV) values measured by the ICG method in this study agree with data of other authors with special respect to basic values for further clinical investigations, and 2. Do the measured differences coincide with the withdrawn and retransfused plasma volume? DESIGN: Prospective study (on each 20 healthy female and male volunteers). SETTING: Research laboratory of a university department of anesthesiology. PARTICIPANTS: Each 20 healthy female and male volunteers. INTERVENTIONS: Measurement of PV with ICG both before and after withdrawal of 10% of blood volume and after retransfusion. RESULTS: The plasma volume per body surface area (PV/BSA) was in the group of female volunteers 1639 +/- 198 and in male volunteers 1687 +/- 224 ml/m2 (mean +/- SD). The withdrawn amount of plasma volume (EPV) was 188 +/- 23 in the female group and 149 +/- 26 ml/m2 in the male group. Determined by the ICG method the difference for the withdrawal was in female volunteers 198 +/- 174 and in male volunteers 171 +/- 158 ml/m2 and for the retransfusion in the female group 190 +/- 169 and in the male group 142 +/- 154 ml/m2. CONCLUSIONS: The mean differences in plasma volume measured by the ICG method both before and after withdrawal and after retransfusion of autologous blood were in good agreement with the withdrawn amount of plasma volume. The large standard deviation has to be considered in clinical assessment of an individual measurement.