PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Biro, G. P.
TI  - Current status of erythrocyte substitutes
DP  - 1983 Aug 01
TA  - Canadian Medical Association Journal
PG  - 237--244
VI  - 129
IP  - 3
4099  - http://www.cmaj.ca/content/129/3/237.short
4100  - http://www.cmaj.ca/content/129/3/237.full
SO  - CMAJ1983 Aug 01; 129
AB  - During the last two decades the search for alternatives to whole blood transfusions has led to promising developments in the field of erythrocyte substitutes. Hemoglobin solutions free of fragments of erythrocyte stroma and fluorocarbon emulsions are not blood-type-specific and appear likely to satisfy some proportion of our blood requirements. Both must be modified before becoming clinically useful. The oxygen affinity of the hemoglobin solution must be reduced and its intravascular persistence improved. Fluorocarbons cannot yet contribute significantly to the oxygen supply unless the patient breathes hyperbaric oxygen. Recent advances are leading to solutions for these problems.