Abstract
Increased von Willebrand Factor (vWF) activity mediates platelet adhesion and might be a contributor to the development of thrombotic complications after surgery. Although in vitro studies have shown that hyperoxia induces endovascular damage, the effect of perioperative supplemental oxygen as a possible trigger for increased vWF activity has not been investigated yet. We tested our primary hypothesis that the perioperative administration of 80% oxygen concentration increases postoperative vWF activity as compared to 30% oxygen concentration in patients at risk of cardiovascular complications undergoing major noncardiac surgery. A total of 260 patients were randomly assigned to receive 80% versus 30% oxygen throughout surgery and for two hours postoperatively. We assessed vWF activity and Ristocetin cofactor activity in all patients shortly before the induction of anesthesia, within two hours after surgery and on the first and third postoperative day. Patient characteristics were similar in both groups. We found no significant difference in vWF activity in the overall perioperative time course between both randomization groups. We observed significantly increased vWF activity in the overall study population throughout the postoperative time course. Perioperative supplemental oxygen showed no significant effect on postoperative vWF and Ristocetin cofactor activity in cardiac risk patients undergoing major noncardiac surgery. In conclusion, we found no significant influence of supplemental oxygen in patients undergoing major non-cardiac surgery on postoperative vWF activity and Ristocetin cofactor activity.