Thursday, January 08, 2004

Trauma patients in area may get synthetic blood

By Karen Augé
Denver Post Staff Writer

Drive safely out there, or you could wind up a guinea pig on a gurney.

For the next year or so, the area's severely wounded and profusely bleeding could get a transfusion of an experimental, synthetic blood called PolyHeme, as part of a nationwide study designed to test the product.

Denver Health doctors and paramedics, along with colleagues at 20 other trauma centers, hope to test the "blood" on 800 patients, said Dr. Ernest "Gene" Moore, chief of surgery at Denver Health.

In most clinical trials, only patients who specifically agree to participate are eligible.

But in this case, the opposite is true.

Because everyone is a potential accident victim, Denver Health is asking area residents who don't want to be in the study to let them know in advance. They will get a bracelet indicating they decline to be included in the trial.

People who want to be excluded from the trial can call 303- 436-7906.


The FDA is allowing the trial to be done this way because, by definition, anyone eligible for the study is severely injured, in shock and can't give informed consent.

PolyHeme is composed of material extracted from actual human blood. But unlike whole human blood, the synthetic version can be used in any patient, regardless of blood type. And, also unlike human blood, which is good for 42 days, the lab- made product has a shelf life of about 18 months.