BLOOD RHEOLOGY AFTER RENAL-TRANSPLANTATION

Cardiovascular complications seriously affect posttransplant survival in patients after successful renal transplantation. Abnormalities in b lood rheology may contribute to these complications. Therefore, we stu died the blood rheology before and during a 1-year observation period after grafting in 9 patients by serial measurements of fibrinogen, rod cell aggregation, hematocrit, spontaneous platelet aggregation, and p lasma viscosity. Prior to grafting, fibrinogen and red cell aggregatio n were found to be increased in patients on regular hemodialysis as co mpared with healthy controls, whereas hematocrit and platelet aggregat ion were markedly reduced, After successful transplantation, the plate let aggregation progressively rose together with the hematocrit, while fibrinogen and red cell aggregation remained abnormally high. Our fin dings suggest that abnormal blood rheology in patients with chronic re nal failure does not improve in response to successful renal transplan tation: fibrinogen and red cell aggregation remain abnormally high; fu rther, the overall blood flow properties are supposed to deteriorate d ue to the postoperative increase in hematocrit and spontaneous platele t aggregation. Adverse rheological conditions thus resulting may contr ibute to the increased frequency of vascular events observed in transp lanted patients.