Pentaspan contains a hydroxyethylstarch (HES) called pentastarch that is substituted with fewer hydroxyethyl groups as compared to hetastarch, another popular HES colloid product. Its lower molecular weight and lesser degree of substitution results in its removal from the blood more rapidly than hetastarch. (Image credit: Biotime Inc.)
DISCLAIMER This educational resource is an independent project of Dr. D. John Doyle, who is solely responsible for its contents. The intended audience for this resource is anesthesiologists and other clinicans involved in patient resuscitation and plasma volume expansion. The information provided is designed to supplement, not replace, other sources of clinical information on plasma volume expansion using colloids. This site is funded entirely by Dr. D. John Doyle; no support for this project has been sought from, or been granted by, any of the manufacturers or distributors of Pentaspan. This site does not accept advertising. Nor does this site use "cookies". Confidentiality of all e-mail communications, including the sender's identity, is respected by this Web site. The Web site owner undertakes to honour or exceed any legal requirements of medical/health information privacy that may apply. An application for HON certification was made on March 15, 2004. This site was last updated on March 18, 2004 in response to the HON review process.