THE OSMOTIC EFFECTS OF UROGRAFIN 76 PER CENT AND ISOPAQUE 60 PER CENT IN ANGIOCARDIOGRAPHY

Abstract

In 48 patients, an average 17 per cent decrease of hematocrit values, indicating a considerable increase in circulating blood volume, was found after angiocardiography. The individual response varied from 4 to 33 per cent and was rather unpredictable, but the most severe changes were generally found in patients with a decreased physical working capacity and with a tendency to develop edema. The changes reached their maximum approximately 1 minute after the injection of contrast medium, and after 15 to 30 minutes there was generally a normalization of the hematocrit. The acute hypervolemia may explain some of the complications observed after angiocardiography and may also account for the difficulties encountered in the interpretation of angiograms obtained after repeated in-injections of contrast medium. Urografin 76 per cent gave an average decrease in hematocrit of 18.5 per cent as compared to a 15.4 per cent decrease with isopaque 60 per cent. The slightly higher osmotic activity of urografin 76 per cent made no observable difference in this clinical material.