HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Personal Folders Download to citation manager Permission Requests Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Heinonen, J. Articles by Suomela, H. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Heinonen, J. Articles by Suomela, H.

Ann Thorac Surg 1982;33:244-249
© 1982 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons

---

Articles

Correlation of Hypotensive Effect of Plasma Protein Fraction with Prekallikrein Activator Activity: A Clinical Study in Patients Having Open-Heart Surgery

From the Cardiothoracic Anesthesia Group, Department of Anesthesia, Helsinki University Central Hospital, and Finnish Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service, Helsinki, Finland

Accepted for publication April 14, 1981.

^* Address reprint requests to Dr. Heinonen, Department of Anesthesia, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Haartmaninkatu 4, SF-00290 Helsinki 29, Finland

We studied the hemodynamic responses to the administration of 20 ml of three protein solutions having different prekallikrein activator (PKA) activities in patients undergoing cardiac operation. PKA levels of the two plasma protein fraction (PPF) solutions studied were 193% and 60%, respectively, while that of the albumin solution was 3%. A significant correlation was found between the PKA activity of the test solutions and the decrease in systemic vascular resistance produced by the solutions during cardiopulmonary bypass and in the postoperative period. Vasodilatation was considerably more marked in the postoperative phase than during cardiopulmonary bypass. Since cardiac output increased simultaneously with the decrease in vascular resistance in the postoperative period, the hypotension observed did not fully reflect the degree of vasodilatation. In some patients, substantial vasodilatation was observed also after the administration of albumin solution with low PKA level. We conclude that although the PPF-induced vasodilatation correlates with the PKA activity of the solution, occasional hypotensive reactions are probably due to mechanisms other than those linked with increased PKA level.