title: The influence of experimentally induced anemia on the patency of microvascular anastomoses.
abstract: Anemia, secondary to blood loss or hemodilution, causes reduction of blood viscosity and has been assumed to favor the long-term patency of microvascular anastomoses. This assumption was tested by performing arterial and venous anastomoses on rat vessels measuring 0.3 to 0.8 mm. in external diameter. A group of rats rendered experimentally anemic (whose blood viscocity was lowered by 37 percent) showed no higher patency rates when the involved vessels were examined 3 weeks later than did a control group. The hypothesis that anemia favors higher patency rates was not substantiated.
mesh_terms: D000740:Anemia; D000818:Animals; D001158:Arteries / Q000601:surgery; D001809:Blood Viscosity; D008866:Microsurgery; D051381:Rats; D014656:Vascular Surgical Procedures; D014680:Veins / Q000601:surgery