Colloid osmotic pressure: its measurement and clinical value.

Plasma colloid osmotic pressure (COP) is an important determinant in the appearance of edema. The development of a simple technique for COP measurement, based on an electronic pressure transducer and a semipermeable membrane system, has led to an appreciation of the value of COP determinations in clinical practice. In a steady state the measured COP replicates the value computed from serum proteins. In pathologic sera a derived value is unreliable. The normal human plasma COP averages 25.4 mm Hg. This value tends to decrease with age, is lower in females and is also lower in subjects at bed rest. As a clinical tool COP measurement represents an unduplicated contribution to the differential diagnosis of pulmonary edema. In critically ill patients COP measurement represents a reliable predictor of survival.