Long-Term Effects of Treatment with Recombinant Human Erythropoietin on Haemodynamics and Tissue Oxygenation in Patients with Renal Anaemia

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Abstract
Regional peripheral vascular resistance, transcutaneous oxygen pressure and blood pressure were studied in seven normotensive, chronically haemodialysed patients with renal anaemia before and after 3 and 12 months of rHuEpo therapy. Haematocrit increased from 21% to 33% within 3 months of commencing therapy, and remained stable throughout the following observation time. Though regional blood flow of the calf was markedly reduced after 3 and 12 months of rHuEpo compared to pretreatment values, transcutaneous oxygen pressure was significantly increased after 3 months and remained constantly elevated after 12 months. Mean arterial blood pressure increased significantly by 7.3 mmHg after 3 months of rHuEpo treatment but did not reach hypertensive values and was no longer different from pretreatment values 12 months after the start of rHuEpo. Results of peripheral haemodynamic studies were compared to those obtained by measurement of central haemodynamics in four further normotensive anaemic patients. In these patients cardiac output decreased, total peripheral vascular resistance increased and blood pressure increased slightly (by 5.5 mmHg) when a haematocrit of 37% was reached after 8 weeks of rHuEpo therapy. These effects were partly reversed when the maintenance haematocrit decreased to 32% (after 16 weeks of rHuEpo). In summary rHuEpo treatment induced a long-term increase of the total and regional peripheral resistance, an increase of blood pressure within the normal range, and a decrease in cardiac output. Despite these changes tissue oxygenation improved.