Life Span of Homogeneous Red Cell Population Formed after Thermal Injury [antikvár]

Haematologia 8 (1-4), pp. 153-162 (1974) Life Span of Homogeneous Red Cell Population Förmed after Thermal Injury I. Bernát, I. Cornides Hungárián Army Medical Corps and Hungárián Mining Research Institute, Budapest, Hungary (Received May 24, 1974) 1. The elimination curve of red blood cells (RBC) labelled with 15N-glycine was examined. A 120-123-day mean life span was found for the RBC of healthy individuals, in good agreement with data in the literature. Most of the RBC died between the 104th and 140th day; elimination started approximately on the 70th day and was complete at 150 days. 2. Mean life span of RBC förmed on the 8th day after thermal injury is 102- 103 days. In this respect the individual cells differed significantly. Most of them were destroyed between the 75th and 152nd day, elimination started on the 40th day. 3. Mean life span of RBC förmed on the 30th and 31st day after thermal injury amounted to 111 days. Their elimination curve was similar to the curve observed in the earlier stage of the illness. 4. The life span of RBC is only slightly shortened subsequent to thermal injury. This factor, as compared to the severe disorder of haemoglobin synthesis, plays a minor role in the pathogenesis of thermal anaemia. Early hyperhaemolysis and a prolonged bone marrow dysfunction play a significant role in the pathogenesis of thermal anaemia. The biochemical features of bone marrow dysfunction have been discussed previously [1 - 7]. Mean life span of RBC is reduced in both the early and the late phase of thermal injury [10]. The aim of these investigations having been to estimate the life span of a mixed RBC population, all RBC were labelled with 51Cr without distinction. It could not therefore be decided whether the shortening of the life span was due to direct injury of the circulating RBC, or the RBC förmed after the injury were involved, or both factors had a role. To decide the question, it was necessary to label solely the RBC unaffected by heat. Therefore, 15N-glycine was chosen as a compound incorporated only by young immature cells (erythroblasts, reticulocytes). Previously, an average life span of 126 days was established in the only patient [12] with 15N-glycine after thermal injury. Material and Method Examinations were performed in 2 healthy subjects and 2 burnt patients. They were given by mouth 2 g of 15N-glycine dissolved in 100 ml water every 4 hours for 2 days. The totál dose of 15N-glycine amounted to 16 g.