Randomized Trial of Intraoperative Intravascular Effect of Hyper-oncotic 20% Albumin, Iso-oncotic 5% Albumin and Ringer Lactate During Haemorrhage in Cystectomy. A Prospective Randomized Active-controlled Single Centre Trial

Bladder cancer occurs mainly in old comorbid patients. The standard treatment of localized muscle invasive bladder cancer is pelvic lymph node dissection and radical cystectomy with urinary diversion. Optimal perioperative fluid management for this surgery is challenging and still controversial in terms of how much to perfuse, choice of fluids to restore hydrated state and volemia.

Fluid treatment is usually performed with either balanced crystalloids fluids or iso-oncotic synthetic colloids, or albumin 5%. Because crystalloids quickly equilibrate between the intravascular and interstitial volumes, they are mainly used to treat dehydration and temporary volume deficits. Doubts have been raised about synthetic colloids and the natural albumin has been used more extensively. Albumin is the main protein responsible for plasma oncotic pressure and its volume expansion effect.

Iso-oncotic colloids (Albumine 5%) remain intravascular for a prolonged period, but they play a neutral role in terms of endogenous fluid recruitment, as the oncotic pressure is equilibrated between the intra- and extra- vascular territories.

An alternative therapeutic option is the mobilization of tissue fluid by infusing a small amount of hyper-oncotic fluid like the albumin 20% solution, which has showed the advantage in its blood volume expansion capacities over crystalloids (endogenous fluid recruitment).

The effects of the Albumin 20% solution have until now never been compared in a same perioperative setting to the Albumin 5% nor to Ringer-lactate solution.