Influence of hydroxyethyl starch (6% HES 130/0.4) administration on hematology and clinical chemistry parameters

Background: The chemical inertness of hydroxyethyl starch (HES)
might cause interferences of the colloid with a variety of
laboratory tests. We aimed to evaluate potential influences of HES
130/0.4, the newest HES type, on several common hematology and
clinical chemistry parameters. Methods and results: A convenient
sample of 25 patients scheduled for rheological therapy with 500 mL
6% HES 130/0.4 was evaluated. Blood samples were drawn before and
after colloid application. Comparing pre- and post-infusion values
of a battery of laboratory tests (i.e., hematology and hemostasis
parameters, electrolytes, enzymes, kidney and metabolic parameters,
lipids, etc.) in time course, a median difference greater than the
reference change value for a specific parameter was considered
clinically relevant. Among all parameters tested, only serum
amylase activity displayed a clinically relevant difference between
pre- and post-infusion values (median increase of 85% due to HES
administration). By applying in vitro experiments, we demonstrated
that serum amylase values obtained in the samples diluted in a 1:1
ratio with HES 130/0.4 and in samples diluted in a 1:1 ratio with
0.9% NaCl displayed a negligible median difference of 3%.
Conclusions: The in vivo effect of HES 130/0.4 administration on
serum amylase activity observed in our study was pharmacological
(real) in nature. With the exception of the influence of HES
130/0.4 on amylase activity, the effects of HES 130/0.4 on other
parameters tested in this study can be interpreted as having no
clinical relevance.