Reported Experiences with Dextran in Communist Countries *

This paper encompasses a survey of the literature concerning the uses of dextrans in the U.S.S.R., China, Czechoslovakia and Poland. The data accumulated indicate that Communist dextran preparations are safe and effective plasma volume expanders and have properties and characteristics essentially similar to dextrans produced in the United States. In contrast to other dextran preparations, a hemostatic defect following intravenous infusions of the Soviet dextran, Polyglucin, has been reported not to occur. The Soviet claims that Polyglucin exerts an erythropoietic stimulatory effect and has hemostatic properties are at variance with Western reports and appear to be unsubstantiated by the published data. Dextran is currently being produced on a large scale in Communist countries, and its use in the treatment of hemorrhagic, traumatic, and operative shock apparently far exceeds that in the United States.