Hydroxyethyl Starch
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Hydroxyethyl starch (HES/HAES), sold under the brand name Voluven among others, is a nonionic starch derivative, used as a
volume expander A volume expander is a type of intravenous therapy that has the function of providing volume for the circulatory system. It may be used for fluid replacement or during surgery to prevent nausea and vomiting after surgery. Physiology When blood is ...
in
intravenous therapy Intravenous therapy (abbreviated as IV therapy) is a medical technique that administers fluids, medications and nutrients directly into a person's vein. The intravenous route of administration is commonly used for rehydration or to provide nutri ...
. The use of HES on critically ill patients is associated with an increased risk of death and kidney problems. HES is a general term and can be sub-classified according to average molecular weight, molar substitution, concentration, C2/C6 ratio and Maximum Daily Dose. The
European Medicines Agency The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is an agency of the European Union (EU) in charge of the evaluation and supervision of medicinal products. Prior to 2004, it was known as the European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products or Euro ...
commenced in June 2013 the process of agreeing to reduced indications which was completed in October 2013. The process of full withdrawal in the EU was expected to complete in 2018.


Medical uses

An intravenous solution of hydroxyethyl starch is used to prevent
shock Shock may refer to: Common uses Collective noun *Shock, a historic commercial term for a group of 60, see English numerals#Special names * Stook, or shock of grain, stacked sheaves Healthcare * Shock (circulatory), circulatory medical emergen ...
following severe
blood Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood in the c ...
loss caused by
trauma Trauma most often refers to: * Major trauma, in physical medicine, severe physical injury caused by an external source * Psychological trauma, a type of damage to the psyche that occurs as a result of a severely distressing event *Traumatic i ...
,
surgery Surgery ''cheirourgikē'' (composed of χείρ, "hand", and ἔργον, "work"), via la, chirurgiae, meaning "hand work". is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a person to investigate or treat a pat ...
, or other problem. It however appears to have greater risk of a poor outcome compared to other intravenous solutions and may increase the risk of death.


Adverse effects

HES can cause anaphylactoid reactions: hypersensitivity, mild influenza-like symptoms,
slow heart rate Bradycardia (also sinus bradycardia) is a slow resting heart rate, commonly under 60 beats per minute (BPM) as determined by an electrocardiogram. It is considered to be a normal heart rate during sleep, in young and healthy or elderly adults, a ...
,
fast heart rate Tachycardia, also called tachyarrhythmia, is a heart rate that exceeds the normal resting rate. In general, a resting heart rate over 100 beats per minute is accepted as tachycardia in adults. Heart rates above the resting rate may be normal (su ...
, spasms of the airways, and non-cardiogenic
pulmonary edema Pulmonary edema, also known as pulmonary congestion, is excessive edema, liquid accumulation in the parenchyma, tissue and pulmonary alveolus, air spaces (usually alveoli) of the lungs. It leads to impaired gas exchange and may cause hypoxemia an ...
. It is also linked to a decrease in
hematocrit The hematocrit () (Ht or HCT), also known by several other names, is the volume percentage (vol%) of red blood cells (RBCs) in blood, measured as part of a blood test. The measurement depends on the number and size of red blood cells. It is norm ...
and disturbances in
blood clotting Coagulation, also known as clotting, is the process by which blood changes from a liquid to a gel, forming a blood clot. It potentially results in hemostasis, the cessation of blood loss from a damaged vessel, followed by repair. The mechanism o ...
. One liter of 6% solution (Hespan) reduces
factor VIII Factor VIII (FVIII) is an essential blood-clotting protein, also known as anti-hemophilic factor (AHF). In humans, factor VIII is encoded by the ''F8'' gene. Defects in this gene result in hemophilia A, a recessive X-linked coagulation disorder. ...
level by 50% and will prolong the
aPTT The partial thromboplastin time (PTT), also known as the activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT or APTT), is a blood test that characterizes coagulation of the blood. A historical name for this measure is the kaolin-cephalin clotting time ( ...
and will also decrease vWF. A coagulation effect of hetastarch administration is direct movement into fibrin clots and a dilutional effect on serum. Hetastarch may lead to platelet dysfunction by causing a reduction in the availability of glycoprotein IIb-IIIa on platelets. HES derivatives have been demonstrated to have increased rates of
acute kidney failure Acute kidney injury (AKI), previously called acute renal failure (ARF), is a sudden decrease in kidney function that develops within 7 days, as shown by an increase in serum creatinine or a decrease in urine output, or both. Causes of AKI are cla ...
and need for
renal replacement therapy Renal replacement therapy (RRT) is therapy that replaces the normal blood-filtering function of the kidneys. It is used when the kidneys are not working well, which is called kidney failure and includes acute kidney injury and chronic kidney dis ...
and to decrease long-term survival when used alone in cases of severe sepsis compared with Ringer lactate solution. The effects were tested on HES 130kDa/0.42 in people with severe sepsis; analysis showed increased rates of kidney failure and increased mortality when compared to LR. It has been recommended that, since medium-MW HES solutions may be associated with harm, these solutions should not be used routinely for patients with septic shock. During 2010/11 a large number of research papers associated with a single author were retracted for ethical reasons, and this may affect clinical guidelines referring to HES preparations prepared before this date.


Contraindications

Prescribing information contains the following contraindications: * This product should not be used in people who are hypersensitive or
allergic Allergies, also known as allergic diseases, refer a number of conditions caused by the hypersensitivity of the immune system to typically harmless substances in the environment. These diseases include hay fever, food allergies, atopic derma ...
to hydroxyethyl starch. * Patients with kidney failure not related to low blood volume and patients on dialysis should avoid this product in high doses which are used for volume expansion. * Use of hydroxyethyl starch with normal saline in its preparation is contraindicated in people with severe increases in blood levels of
sodium Sodium is a chemical element with the symbol Na (from Latin ''natrium'') and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal. Sodium is an alkali metal, being in group 1 of the periodic table. Its only stable iso ...
or
chloride The chloride ion is the anion (negatively charged ion) Cl−. It is formed when the element chlorine (a halogen) gains an electron or when a compound such as hydrogen chloride is dissolved in water or other polar solvents. Chloride salts ...
. * Patients with intracranial bleeds should not use this product. On November 25, 2013, following a public workshop to discuss new information on the risks and benefits of HES solution, the
USFDA The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food s ...
announced the addition of a
black box warning In the United States, a boxed warning (sometimes "black box warning", colloquially) is a type of warning that appears on the package insert for certain prescription drugs, so called because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration specifies that it i ...
to the prescribing information which includes the following recommendations to health professionals: * Do not use HES solutions in critically ill adult patients, including those with sepsis. * Avoid use in patients with pre-existing renal dysfunction. * Discontinue use of HES at the first sign of renal injury. * Need for renal replacement therapy has been reported up to 90 days after HES administration. Continue to monitor renal function for at least 90 days in all patients. * Avoid use in patients undergoing open heart surgery in association with cardiopulmonary bypass due to excess bleeding. * Discontinue use of HES at the first sign of coagulopathy. * Do not use HES products in patients with severe liver disease * Monitor liver function in patients receiving HES products.


Safety concerns

High molecular weight HES has been linked to
coagulopathy Coagulopathy (also called a bleeding disorder) is a condition in which the blood's ability to coagulate (form clots) is impaired. This condition can cause a tendency toward prolonged or excessive bleeding (bleeding diathesis), which may occur spo ...
,
pruritus Itch (also known as pruritus) is a sensation that causes the desire or reflex to scratch. Itch has resisted many attempts to be classified as any one type of sensory experience. Itch has many similarities to pain, and while both are unpleasant ...
, as well as
nephrotoxicity Nephrotoxicity is toxicity in the kidneys. It is a poisonous effect of some substances, both toxic chemicals and medications, on kidney function. There are various forms, and some drugs may affect kidney function in more than one way. Nephrotoxin ...
, acute renal failure and mortality. On the other hand, low molecular weight HES seems not to demonstrate such adverse effects. However, some suggest that low molecular weight HES poses significant safety concerns. They posit that studies concluding otherwise are not reliable for a number of reasons including “unsuitable comparators, too short observation periods, low cumulative dose and low-risk patients.” (Hartog & Reinhart, 2009, p 1340). Recent results of 6S trial seem to confirm these concerns (see below). In June 2012 a 6S paper was published in the ''
New England Journal of Medicine ''The New England Journal of Medicine'' (''NEJM'') is a weekly medical journal published by the Massachusetts Medical Society. It is among the most prestigious peer-reviewed medical journals as well as the oldest continuously published one. Hist ...
'' raising concerns regarding the use of hydroxyethyl starch in
sepsis Sepsis, formerly known as septicemia (septicaemia in British English) or blood poisoning, is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. This initial stage is follo ...
. Specifically, the authors showed that resuscitation with hydroxyethyl starch (as opposed to Ringer's acetate) resulted in an increased risk of death or end stage renal failure. This study used Tetraspan (HES 130/0.42) of the pharmaceutical company B.Braun but the original version of the publication contained the product specification HES 130/0.4. The pharmaceutical company,
Fresenius Kabi Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA is a health care company based in Bad Homburg vor der Höhe, Germany. It provides products and services for dialysis, in hospitals and inpatient and outpatient medical care. It is involved in hospital management and in ...
, that makes a similar product but with the specification HES 130/0.4 is threatening to bring legal action against the author, Anders Perner, as they wanted the misleading use of their product specification to be corrected. The academic community has raised concerns regarding this sort of behavior by a corporation although Fresenius Kabi did not doubt the results of the study. The CHEST study compared Hes130/0.40 with Saline in 7000 patients. The study was performed in patients that were less sick than in 6s; however, the increase in mortality was similar to 6s. There has also been a significant increase in dialysis rate overall. The increase in creatinine confirmed the pathophysiological rationale. Furthermore, the patients needed more blood products, had significant more liver failure and itching. The study was published in the ''NEJM'' in October 2012. As a consequence, in November 2012 the European Regulatory Agency (EMA) started an Official Procedure to Assess the Safety of all HES Products. The FDA in September 2012 conducted a Public Workshop addressing Safety concerns of HES, which according to the majority of participants should be addressed by regulators. The Surviving Sepsis Campaign decided to ban HES from treatment in sepsis patients. On June 14, 2013, PRAC, which is the safety committee of EMA, the European regulatory agency, published on their official website the recommendation to suspend the marketing authorisation of all HES products in Europe. The risk benefit ratio is negative based on results of 3 megatrials (VISEP, 6S, CHEST). A clinical benefit could not be demonstrated in any patient population, and there was ample evidence of harm, especially kidney failure due to long-term storage of the product in vital organs severely restricting its potential indications. The FDA followed on June 24. MHRA recalled the HES products on June 27 as the risks outweigh potential benefits and safer and cheaper alternatives are available. In July 2021 the FDA further restricted the label of HES in the US. Due to side effects also in the patients in the operating room the product should only be used,when no other fluid for volume replacement therapy is available .This restricts HES use to the battle field as an example. Due to this negative label the two largest HES producers deregistered their global HES brands in the US. The EMA held an ad hoc expert meeting on December 18, 2017, to help inform its further consideration of the issue. Some further longer term data had been published although some trials had yet to complete. On January 12, 2018, PRAC haramocovigilance Risk Assessment Committeerecommended the European Medicine Agency to withdraw the marketing authorization of hydroxyethyl starch containing medicinal products. An issue was that some use appeared to be outside the restricted license, potentially in areas of practice where there was evidence of harm. This may be a global issue as there is evidence that in areas of practice such as post-partum hemorrhage use has continued outside WHO guidelines. The recommendation was adopted by the Mutual Recognition and Decentralized Procedure Co-ordination Group (CMDh) on January 26, 2018. In April 2018, the European Commission requested that the PRAC and the CMDh further consider any possible unmet medical need that could result from a suspension, as well as the feasibility and likely effectiveness of additional risk minimisation measures. After looking at these specific aspects, in May 2018 the PRAC confirmed its previous recommendation for suspension and sent a revised recommendation to the CMDh. The CMDh concluded that HES solutions for infusion should remain on the market provided that a combination of additional measures to protect patients is implemented. The European Commission took an EU-wide legally binding decision on 17 July 2018. On May 22, 2022 EMS banned HES in the EU. In 2018 implemented measures of controlled access to hospitals and training of users did not stop the use in ICU/sepsis patients .to prevent harm from these patients of a drug with no demonstrated clinical benefit, the registrations of all HES in EU are suspended.


Pharmacokinetics

Different types of hydroxyethyl starches are typically described by their average molecular weight, typically around 130 to 200 kDa (bearing in mind that there will be a range of different-sized molecules in any given solution); and their degree of molar substitution (what proportion of the glucose units on the starch molecule have been modified with hydroxyethyl units), typically around 0.35 to 0.5. A solution of hydroxyethyl starch may further be described by its concentration in % (i.e. grams per 100ml). So for example, one commercially available hydroxyethyl starch (Voluven) is described as 6% HES 130 / 0.4. The elimination depends on molar substitution degree. Molecules smaller than the renal threshold (60–70 kDa) are readily excreted in the urine while a small part of the larger ones are metabolized by plasma α–
amylase An amylase () is an enzyme that catalyses the hydrolysis of starch (Latin ') into sugars. Amylase is present in the saliva of humans and some other mammals, where it begins the chemical process of digestion. Foods that contain large amounts of ...
before those degradation products are renally excreted. However HES is only partly degraded and excreted, while for a large amount the metabolism remains unclear. Approximately one-third to two-thirds of administered HES cannot be accounted for by 24-h urinary excretion. In one study the cumulative excretion over 72 h was 50% of the administered dose. HES has remained detectable in plasma 4 months after infusion, and in skin tissue up to 54 months after HES infusion. Administered HES accumulates in large quantities within diverse tissues where it can persist for periods of several years. Therefore, HES should not be administered for longer than 24 hours.


See also

* Hydroxyethyl starch-induced pruritus * Pentastarch *
Joachim Boldt Joachim Boldt (born 29 September 1954) is a German anesthesiologist who fabricated or falsified data, including those reporting clinical trial results. Boldt was previously considered to be a leading researcher of medicinal colloids. He was an ad ...


References

Mishler, John (1984). "Synthetic Plasma Expanders - Their Pharmacology, Safety and Clinical Efficacy." Clinics in Hematology. 13:75-92.


External links


Information on Hespan
* {{Blood substitutes and perfusion solutions Intravenous fluids Starch Withdrawn drugs