Influence of long-term volume therapy with hydroxyethyl starch on leukocytes in patients with acute stroke.

A repeated administration of hydroxyethyl starch affects hemostasiological and rheological factors such as the concentration of factor VIII/von Willebrand factor, platelet volume and plasma viscosity. An earlier study showed that HES also lowers the concentration of fibronectin, a molecule important in the reticuloendothelial system (RES). RES has a "clearing function" and is a part of the non-immune-specific defense mechanisms of the body.