Blood Simple: The Search for The Right Solution

Image via Wikipedia

Badly injured in an automobile accident in the Netherlands in October 1980, a Jehovah’s Witness was dying from loss of blood. Since his religious beliefs prevented him from accepting blood from another human being, it seemed that there was little hope of survival.

Image via Wikipedia

But his life was saved, thanks to an artificial blood substitute flown in from Britain.

Available to all

It is not only people with certain religious beliefs, and their children, who reap the benefits of this marvel of modern science. Artificial blood can be given to anyone, regardless of blood group; there is no need for time-consuming checks to ensure that the donor blood matches that of the patient. The substitute can be manufactured in large quantities at times when blood supplies run short. And chemically manufactured blood is completely free of bacteria and viruses.

http://u.nu/4khx3

Despite 20 years of research, however, blood substitute are not perfect. Natural human blood is a miracle of chemical engineering, and very difficult to emulate. Among its many function, blood absorbs oxygen in the lungs and releases it into the body; at the same, it collects carbon dioxide from the body tissues and releases it into the lungs, where it is exhaled.

http://u.nu/6mhx3

Most forms of artificial blood are derived from fluorocarbon emulsion; the primary use of this group of chemicals is as propellants in aerosol sprays. They effectively carry oxygen and carbon dioxide – the main requirement of substitute blood – and have been used with great success in emergency transfusions. However, the patient must be able to breathe deeply in order to provide a higher than normal supply of oxygen to the blood.

http://u.nu/2nhx3

A second type of blood substitute uses a hemoglobin solution to transport oxygen. In natural blood the hemoglobin is enclosed in cell membranes so that it does not escape and damage organs, such as the kidneys. In artificial blood, the hemoglobin molecules are joined in clusters; they are not contained in cells.

http://u.nu/5nhx3

Hemoglobin in this form does not damage the kidneys, but it is less sufficient in carrying oxygen. Another drawback is that natural blood is need in manufacturing the hemoglobin solution; this makes it unacceptable to those with religious objections to blood transfusions.

http://u.nu/2phx3

Substitute blood of any kind can be used only as a temporary measure; it tends to depress the immune system, increasing the risk of infection. And within a day or so the substitute must be replaced by natural blood – either created by the body or from a transfusion.

http://u.nu/4phx3

Nonetheless, development of blood substitutes has proved a lifesaving boom in emergency operations. For example, hemorrhaging from internal injuries often causes death. But operation using blood substitutes have raised the survival rate from 17 to 80 percent in recent year.

http://u.nu/6phx3

Although a great deal of painstaking research lies ahead, scientists are optimistic that they will be able to create a true equivalent for what is probably the body’s most vital fluid.