Figure 2
From: Hemodynamic coherence and the rationale for monitoring the microcirculation
Typical sublingual microcirculatory images taken with a Cytocam IDF hand-held microscope during cardiac surgery showing how the administration of colloid causes volume expansion while a crystalloid solution does not. a Sublingual microcirculation during cardiac surgery with crystalloid 0.9% NaCl as priming solution during cardiopulmonary bypass. b Sublingual microcirculation during cardiac surgery with HES as priming solution during cardiopulmonary bypass. Images show that the use of HES results in more volume expansion as indicated by the increased distance between the RBCs in the capillaries as would be expected from a colloid, in comparison with a in which crystalloid was used in the pump where it is expected that the crystalloid solution equilibrates more rapidly with the tissues less affecting intravascular volume status.