title: The risks of blood transfusions and the shortage of supply leads to the quest for blood substitutes.
abstract: A number of factors have combined to drive the interest in developing blood substitutes. These include the time-dependent decrement in stored blood biochemistry, the general shortage of the blood supply, and public awareness of the risks associated with allogeneic transfusions. Current literature on different blood substitutes was reviewed. The aim of this article is to help the reader understand the necessity of blood substitutes and to briefly describe blood substitutes that are in clinical trials. The need for oxygen-carrying blood substitutes is the driving force in multiple clinical trials. More research is needed to develop alteratives to allogeneic blood transfusion that are free of complications.
authors.affiliation: Virginia Commonwealth University, Department of Nurse Anesthesia, Richmond, USA.
authors.forename: Nicole-Soraya
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Nouwairi
mesh_terms: D017544:Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal / Q000601:surgery; D016063:Blood Loss, Surgical; D001802:Blood Substitutes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001803:Blood Transfusion / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020380:Needs Assessment; D011887:Raffinose / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012106:Research; D012307:Risk Factors; D065227:Transfusion Reaction; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D001802:Blood Substitutes; D006454:Hemoglobins; C097124:O-raffinose cross-linked human hemoglobin; D011887:Raffinose