Radioisotope blood volume measurement in hemodialysis patients

Accurate assessment of blood volume (BV) may be helpful for prescribing hemodialysis (HD) and for reducing complications related to hypovolemia and volume overload. Monitoring changes in relative BV (RBV) using hematocrit, e.g., Crit‐Line Monitor (CLM‐III), an indirect method, cannot be used to determine absolute BV. We report the first study of BV measurement for assessing volume status in HD patients using the indicator dilutional method. Ten adult HD patients were enrolled in this prospective observational study. BV measurement was performed before and after HD using BV analysis (BVA)‐100 (Daxor Corporation, New York, NY, USA). BVA‐100 calculates BV using radiolabeled albumin (Iodine‐131) followed by serial measures of the radioisotope. Fluid loss from the extravascular space was calculated by subtracting the change in BV from total weight loss. Intradialytic changes in RBV were measured by CLM‐III. Eight out of 10 cases had significant hypervolemia, two cases were normovolemic. The range of BV variation from predicted normal was 156 to 1990 mL. Significant inter‐individual differences in extravascular space fluid loss ranged from 54% to 99% of total weight loss. Spearman correlation showed a good correlation in the measurement of RBV by BVA‐100 and CLM‐III in 8 out of 10 patients (r2 = 0.64). BV measurement using BVA‐100 is useful to determine absolute BV as well as changes in BV and correlates reasonably well with CLM‐III measurements. Individual refilling ability can be determined as well. This may prove useful in prescribing and monitoring ultrafiltration rates, establishment of optimal BV in HD patients and reducing morbidity and mortality associated with chronic HD.