Radiology, Vol 148, 243-245, Copyright © 1983 by Radiological Society of North America
Blood loss measured with indium-111-labeled red blood cells in dogs
RL Beckman, GL Pittenger, DP Swanson, JH Thrall and RG Fiddian-Green
The authors describe a safe, simple, sensitive, and accurate technique of
measuring moderate amounts of blood loss using erythrocytes labeled with
indium-111. Donor red cells were labeled with indium-111 and tracer amounts
infused into dogs. The magnitude of red cell loss was determined by the
difference between two sequential volume measurements. The coefficient of
variation of sequential measurements of the same red cell volume was 4.6
+/- 1%. The sensitivity of the technique, as determined by comparison of
measured and estimated volumes, was 20.5 ml. The measured volume was
related linearly to the calculated volume of red cells lost (r = 0.98). The
authors recommend indium-111-labeled erythrocytes as a means of obtaining
multiple measurements of small to moderate amounts of hemorrhage.
