Clinically unrecognized plasma volume expansion predicts long-term all-cause-mortality in chronic heart failure.

Introduction: Chronic heart failure (CHF) is associated with elevated total blood volume (BV) and distinct phenotypes of total red cell volume (RCV) and plasma volume (PV) elevations. Especially PV expansion during clinical decompensation is linked with adverse clinical outcomes. The role of PV expansion in compensated CHF patients is less clear.

Estimated plasma volume status is a modest predictor of true plasma volume excess in compensated chronic heart failure patients.

Plasma volume and especially plasma volume excess is a relevant predictor for the clinical outcome of heart failure patients. In recent years, estimated plasma volume based on anthropometric characteristics and blood parameters has been used whilst direct measurement of plasma volume has not entered clinical routine. It is unclear whether the estimation of plasma volume can predict a true plasma volume excess.

Blood volume and hemoglobin mass in long-term heart transplant recipients with and without Anemia.

Background: In systolic chronic heart failure, a heterogeneous blood volume (BV) regulation can be found with plasma volume expansion in many cases, possibly leading to pseudoanemia. Little is known about the volume status after heart transplantation (HTX). So far, anemia of HTX recipients was solely investigated using hemoglobin-concentration that may be misleading in a clinical context.

Time course of red cell volume and plasma volume over six months in compensated chronic heart failure.

Background: In patients with chronic heart failure (CHF), volume overload is usually described as an expansion of plasma volume (PV). Additional red cell volume (RCV) expansion also occurs in a relevant fraction of compensated CHF patients. So far, little is known about the stability of these vascular volumes and possible volume excess in compensated CHF patients over time.

Increased Red Cell Volume Is a Relevant Contributing Factor to an Expanded Blood Volume in Compensated Systolic Chronic Heart Failure.

Background: In patients with chronic heart failure (CHF), volume overload is usually described as an expansion of plasma volume. Additional red cell volume (RCV) expansion is less commonly recognized. So far, little is known about quantitative differences in blood volume status and its different components in patients with stable CHF compared to healthy controls.

Applying the Optimized CO Rebreathing Method for Measuring Blood Volumes and Hemoglobin Mass in Heart Failure Patients.

Determination of blood volume, red cell volume, and plasma volume contributes to the understanding of the pathophysiology in heart failure, especially concerning anemia and volume load. The optimized carbon monoxide (CO)-rebreathing method (oCORM) is used to determine these parameters and hemoglobin mass (Hbmass) in exercise physiology. The applicability of oCORM to determine the intravascular volumes and Hbmass in heart failure patients is currently undetermined because assumptions concerning CO kinetics with oCORM rely on healthy subjects with a normal ejection fraction.

Therapeutic Depletion of Iron Stores Is Not Associated with a Reduced Hemoglobin Mass in a Hemochromatosis Patient.

Introduction: Hereditary hemochromatosis features a dysregulated iron absorption leading to iron overload and organ damage. The regulation of total hemoglobin mass during depletion of iron deposits by therapeutic phlebotomy has not been studied.

Case Presentation: The initial ferritin level of the 52-year-old male subject was 1,276 μg/l.