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Hospital to try out 'blood substitute'
Jillian Green
2004-08-05

Johannesburg Hospital is to become the first state hospital to use a new blood substitute in treating trauma patients, albeit in clinical tests.

Johannesburg Hospital is to become the first state hospital to use a new blood substitute in treating trauma patients, albeit in clinical tests.

The product, a haemoglobin-based oxygen carrier known as Hemopure, will undergo clinical trials at the hospital.

At present Hemopure, created by an international company, Biopure, is only available for use in South Africa for the treatment of adult surgical patients who are acutely anaemic and for the purpose of eliminating, reducing or delaying the need for a normal blood transfusion in these patients.

But now the company has been granted permission to test the safety and tolerability of Hemopure, in a hospital setting, for emergency treatment of unstable patients with significant blood loss as a result of blunt or penetrating trauma.

Blood loss from traumatic injuries can cause low blood pressure and decreased blood flow to organs, leading to insufficient tissue oxygenation and shock.

This can result in organ dysfunction, tissue damage and death unless fluid resuscitation re-establishes adequate delivery of oxygen to tissues.

The product, which is derived from modified haemoglobin of cows, carries the same amount of oxygen as the haemoglobin in the red blood cells of human blood.

But the product's haemoglobin molecules can circulate in plasma, are smaller, have lower viscosity (resistance to flow) and more readily release oxygen to tissues than red blood cells.

Consequently, they can carry oxygen at low blood pressure and can carry oxygen through constricted or partially blocked blood vessels to areas of the body that red blood cells cannot reach due to their larger size.

Hemopure can be used by all blood groups, can be stored at room temperature and is administered intravenously.

According to Douglas Sayles, of Biopure Corporation, tests will be conducted by Dr Kenneth Boffard, head of the hospital's department of surgery, and Dr Jacques Goosen, head of the hospital's trauma unit.

Sayles said that approximately 50 trauma patients will be randomly assigned to receive either standard therapy resuscitation fluids - such as drips and/or blood - or up to 10 bags of Hemopure plus standard therapy.

Patients will be monitored until discharged, and at 28 days post-infusion. 

This study is Biopure's first-ever clinical trial of Hemopure specificallyfor the management of unstable trauma patients.

South Africa's Medicines Control Council and the Ethics Committee at Johannesburg Hospital have reviewed the trial protocol - how the study will work - and an independent data safety monitoring board will periodically review the safety data during the course of the trial. (Source: The Star, 30 July 2004)

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