Hemodilution

Hemodilution means diluting the blood by increasing the volume of fluid in the blood vessels. It's caused by the retention of a large amount of water in the body, for example during pregnancy or splenomegaly. Hemodilution is also used therapeutically, for example in some thrombotic strokes.

A decrease in hematocrit values is the manifestation of hemodilution.

The opposite process is hemoconcentration.