Bleeding Volume Indices of Hydroxyethyl Starch, Dextran, Blood, and Glucose.

Solutions of hydroxyethyl starch were approximately equivalent to dextran and autologous whole blood in restoring and maintaining near normal arterial pressures in bled dogs. Bleeding volume indices with hydroxyethyl starch solutions, dextran, or whole blood were not significantly different. With glucose solution, arterial pressures and bleeding volume indices were significantly lower. During the interval between bleedings, arterial hematocrit values were maintained at about 50% of prehemorrhage levels by hydroxyethyl starch and dextran, whereas with glucose solutions hematocrits progressively rose to levels in the range of prehemorrhage values.