The body hematocrit/venous hematocrit ratio and the "splenic reservoir".

1. Red cell volume and plasma volume were measured by the radioactive sodium chromate and the chromic chloride method respectively in 37 patients. 2. The body hematocrit/venous hematocrit (BH/VH) ratio was found to be constant in normal subjects and in patients in whom there was neither splenomegaly nor edema. The ratio was 0.896 ± 0.039. 3. In splenectomized patients the BH/VH ratio was normal indicating that in man, in normal conditions, the spleen does not have the function of a significant blood reservoir with raised cell/plasma ratio. 4. In patients with splenomegaly the BH/VH ratio was found to be significantly increased in direct proportion to the degree of splenic enlargement, indicating an increased concentration of erythrocytes in the enlarged spleen. 5. In the presence of extravascular fluid retention caused by prolonged prednisone treatment the BH/VH ratio was lower than normal. 6. It was concluded that in patients with splenomegaly or edema measurement of either red cell volume or plasma volume alone in conjunction with the "corrected" venous hematocrit does not permit valid assessment of the non-measured parameter nor of the total blood volume.

[1]  H. Riper.  The Anatomy and Physiology of the Capillaries , 1961 .

[2]  M. Verloop,et al.  Determination of the blood volume using radioactive Cr51: modifications of the original technique. , 1956, The Journal of laboratory and clinical medicine.

[3]  S. Eisenberg.  Blood volume in patients with Laennec's cirrhosis of the liver as determined by radioactive chromium-tagged red cells. , 1956, The American journal of medicine.

[4]  A. Hope,et al.  Further observations on the distribution of red cells and plasma in disease; the low body haematocrit: venous haematocrit ratio. , 1955, Clinical science.

[5]  R. W. Gunton,et al.  Blood volume in congestive heart failure. , 1955, The Journal of clinical investigation.

[6]  E. Brown,et al.  Effect of splenectomy on changes in plasma and blood volume produced by inhalation of 30% and 40% CO2 in dogs. , 1955, The American journal of physiology.

[7]  S. Eisenberg,et al.  The Effect of Congestive Heart Failure on Blood Volume as Determined by Radiochromium‐Tagged Red Cells , 1954, Circulation.

[8]  R. Read,et al.  Studies of red-cell volume and turnover using radiochromium; description of a new closed method of red-cell volume measurement. , 1954, The New England journal of medicine.

[9]  S. Berson,et al.  Effect of splenomegaly on blood volume. , 1954, Journal of applied physiology.

[10]  S. Berson,et al.  Blood volume alterations in congestive heart failure. , 1954, The Journal of clinical investigation.

[11]  D. Vérel.  Observations on the distribution of plasma and red cells in disease. , 1954, Clinical science.

[12]  H. Vetter,et al.  The body/venous hematocrit ratio: its constancy over a wide hematocrit range. , 1953, The Journal of clinical investigation.

[13]  E. B. Reeve,et al.  Distribution of cells and plasma in the normal and splenectomized dog and its influence on blood volume estimates with P32 and T-1824. , 1953, The American journal of physiology.

[14]  S. Gray,et al.  The simultaneous determination of red cell mass and plasma volume in man with radioactive sodium chromate and chromic chloride. , 1953, The Journal of clinical investigation.

[15]  S. Gray,et al.  The determination of plasma volume in man with radioactive chromic chloride. , 1953, The Journal of clinical investigation.

[16]  P. Mollison,et al.  Correction for plasma trapped in the red cell column of the hematocrit. , 1952, Blood.

[17]  S. Berson,et al.  The use of K42 or P32 labeled erythrocytes and I131 tagged human serum albumin in simultaneous blood volume determinations. , 1952, The Journal of clinical investigation.

[18]  R. J. Parsons,et al.  Total red cell volume, plasma volume, and sodium space in congestive heart failure. , 1951, The Journal of clinical investigation.

[19]  L. Wasserman,et al.  Blood volume determination: comparison of T-1824 and P32 labeled red cell methods. , 1951, The Journal of laboratory and clinical medicine.

[20]  S. Gray,et al.  Determination of the circulating red cell volume in man by radioactive chromium. , 1950, The Journal of clinical investigation.

[21]  G. W. James,et al.  A comparative study of red cell volumes in human subjects with radioactive phosphorus tagged red cells and T-1824 dye. , 1950, The Journal of clinical investigation.

[22]  E. B. Reeve,et al.  A simplified method for the determination of circulating red‐cell volume with radioactive phosphorus , 1949, The Journal of physiology.

[23]  E. B. Reeve,et al.  A comparison of estimates of circulating red blood cell volume given by the Ashby marked red cell method and the T 1824-haematocrit method in man. , 1948, Clinical science.

[24]  H. S. Mayerson,et al.  Comparison of Results of Measurement of Red Blood Cell Volume by Direct and Indirect Technics , 1948 .

[25]  G. Meneely,et al.  Application of the radioactive red cell method for determination of blood volume in humans. , 1947, The American journal of physiology.

[26]  A. Seligman,et al.  CIRCULATING RED CELL VOLUME MEASURED SIMULTANEOUSLY BY THE RADIOACTIVE IRON AND DYE METHODS. , 1946, The Journal of clinical investigation.

[27]  F. Roughton,et al.  Simultaneous determinations of blood volume by CO and dye (T-1824) under various conditions. , 1946, The American journal of physiology.

[28]  G. Meneely,et al.  A STUDY OF THE VOLUME OF THE BLOOD IN CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE. RELATION TO OTHER MEASUREMENTS IN FIFTEEN PATIENTS. , 1943, The Journal of clinical investigation.

[29]  W. Pritchard,et al.  CARDIAC OUTPUT, BLOOD AND INTERSTITIAL FLUID VOLUMES, TOTAL CIRCULATING SERUM PROTEIN, AND KIDNEY FUNCTION DURING CARDIAC FAILURE AND AFTER IMPROVEMENT. , 1942, The Journal of clinical investigation.

[30]  E. A. Stead,et al.  DEMONSTRATION THAT THE CELL PLASMA RATIO OF BLOOD CONTAINED IN MINUTE VESSELS IS LOWER THAN THAT OF VENOUS BLOOD. , 1941, The Journal of clinical investigation.

[31]  W. A. Evans,et al.  CLINICAL STUDIES OF THE BLOOD VOLUME. III. CHANGES IN BLOOD VOLUME, VENOUS PRESSURE AND BLOOD VELOCITY RATE IN CHRONIC CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE. , 1937, The Journal of clinical investigation.

[32]  R. Fåhraeus.  THE SUSPENSION STABILITY OF THE BLOOD , 1929 .

[33]  E. Freis,et al.  The blood volume in congestive heart failure. , 1952, Transactions of the Association of American Physicians.