André Brassard

Blood Volume Response to Extracorporeal Circulation in Dogs

Over the past decade, blood volume measurements in patients undergoing open heart surgery aroused a great deal of interest. These determinations were carried out mainly to help clinicians evaluate more precisely the balance between blood loss and blood replacement, in order to institute a more appropriate treatment. However, most of this work was limited to the immediate preoperative and postoperative periods, and little data can be found on blood volume measurement in the days following surgery. Moreover, these studies were done on human subjects with abnormal cardiovascular function. Since these conditions may influence body fluid balance, the sole effect of extracorporeal circulation on blood volume is difficult to ascertain under these circum-