BLOOD SUBSTITUTES - EVOLUTION AND FUTURE APPLICATIONS

The development-of oxygen-carrying blood substitutes has progressed si gnificantly in the last decade with phase I and phase II clinical tria ls of both hemoglobin-based and perfluorocarbon-based oxygen carriers nearing completion. As these products approach clinical use it is impo rtant for the laboratory medicine community to be aware of their effec ts on routine laboratory testing and the settings in which they might be used. Here we review the forces driving the development of oxygen-c arrying blood substitutes, the clinical settings in which they might b e used, the major categories of oxygen carriers in clinical trials, an d the challenges faced by these products as they approach clinical use .