CSB#7 - Synthetic Blood Transfusion Saves a Life

Until an incident that occurred in Australia, blood substitutes have been utterly ineffective. The reason for blood substitues is that sometimes the exact blood type is not available to the patient, but substitutes cover all blood types. Additionally, in certain places where cold storage is not available blood substitutes are a really feasible option. Tamara Coakley landed at a hospital in Melbourne in a very harmful state. She had been hit by a car and had a fractured skull, collapsed lungs, and a damaged spinal cord along with other traumatic injuries. Additionally, she had lost tremendous amounts of blood and could not send oxygen effectively to her tissues. On top of that, Coakley's religion prevented blood transfusions, however, synthetics were allowed. HBOC201, "a hemoglobin-based oxygen-carrying synthetic containing a molecule derived from cow plasma" was administered into Coakley's body. Coakley survived with the synthetic blood transfusion against all odds. HBOC201 does not need cross-matching (blood compatibility) or storage in cold temperatures, and it will not expire for up to three years.
This could be a feasible option for blood loss patients in third world countries or on the battlefield. These places cannot get the required blood (the right type) in time to save the patients, but synthetic blood covers all blood types. Many hospitals that are far away from blood banks also have similar problems as they cannot find blood with the same type as the patient. This synthetic blood, which can be used for all blood types, solves that dilemma. Synthetic blood transfusion needs way more research than just one success, but Coakley's result is a huge breakthrough in the alternative blood field. I believe that more research in this field will prove to be very beneficial in the future. Some questions that I have are if HBOC201 has any side effects and if it can be mass produced effectively.

Citation:
Dillow, Clay. "Transfusion of Synthetic Blood Saves Woman's Life." Popular Science. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 May 2011. .