Postoperative albumin infusion therapy based on colloid osmotic pressure. A prospectively randomized trial
R. Grundmann and S. Heistermann
In a prospectively randomized trial of 220 patients, 106 were given albumin
when their colloid osmotic pressure (COP) fell below 24 cm H2O and 114 were
given albumin when their COP fell below 29 cm H2O. There was no difference
in the postoperative course between the two groups; however, by using the
lower COP limit the postoperative albumin consumption in the intensive care
unit was reduced significantly and thus the costs of treatment were
lowered. In the case of extremely low COP, the prognosis of the disease
worsened, indicating that the COP is of prognostic value. The albumin
supply, however, did not influence the final outcome of the patients under
these circumstances because it treated only a characteristic symptom and
not the cause of the disease.
