Blood surface interaction during hemodialysis leads to impairment of platelet function and decrease in platelet number, which besides heparinization, may cause or exacerbate bleeding in risk patients. Furthermore, antithrombin III has been shown to increase during dialysis, probably due to vascular endothelial injury caused by infusion of activated platelets into the patient. 23 patients were examined during two successive dialyses, using membranes based on regenerated cellulose (RC) and cellulose acetate (CA). In 12 of the patients, platelet aggregation induced by ADP, circulating platelet aggregates and immunological AT III and AT III activity were determined. Irrespective of the membrane used, hemodialysis was associated with deterioration of platelet function, reflected by a decrease in platelet aggregation with return to predialysis values at the end of dialysis. However, the decline in platelet count and the increase in circulating platelet aggregates were membrane dependent, with RC causing greater changes than CA. No changes in threshold concentration of ADP inducing secondary platelet aggregation or in either immunological AT III or AT III activity were seen during dialysis.
In a prospective study abdominal paracentesis with ascitic fluid aspiration was performed in 54 consecutive patients with ascites of unknown cause. The ascitic fluid was examined cytologically and bacteriologically. The total cholesterol concentration was measured with an enzymatic colorimetric method. Malignant disease was diagnosed in 34 patients. Two of them had both malignant disease and liver cirrhosis and were excluded. Seventeen patients had liver cirrhosis, one had acute pancreatitis, and two had decompensated heart disease. The diagnostic value of an ascitic cholesterol concentration greater than 1.2 mmol/l in terms of predicting malignant disease was 87.5% (95% confidence limits, 71.0-96.5). The predictive value of an ascitic cholesterol concentration less than or equal to 1.2 mmol/l in terms of benign disease was 80.0% (95% confidence limits, 56.3-94.3). It is concluded that ascitic cholesterol measurement is a valuable supplement to cytologic examination in distinguishing between ascites of malignant and benign origin.
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