Comparative Study of New Device for Measuring Blood Volume

Introduction  In recent years, much has been learned of fluid and electrolyte shifts which occur in the body. Accurate electrolyte determinations have been made possible with the development of the flame photometer and the Van Slyke machine. Likewise, blood volume determinations have become popular since the introduction of dye and radioisotope techniques for measurement.The usefulness of an accurate, convenient method for determining blood volume, adaptable to routine clinical use, is evident. Gregersen and Rawson³ defined the methodologic pitfalls which lead to serious errors with the dye techniques. The use of radioisotopes, though more accurate, requires the service of semiskilled personnel.Instruments available for measuring radioisotopes require that several steps be included in the technique. These volumetric and dilution steps not only are time consuming, but also result in an increase in the experimental error of the determination.A recently introduced instrument, the Volemetron, described by Williams and Fine,