Artificial blood carries oxygen throughout the body but cannot replace real blood. Hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers and perfluorocarbons are the two main types, with different methods of carrying oxygen. Artificial blood is useful in emergencies and has a longer shelf life than real blood.
Artificial blood, also known as oxygen therapy, works by carrying oxygen throughout the body. It does not act as a substitute for blood as it cannot do all the things that real blood is responsible for. Doctors use artificial blood whenever they fear that a person has lost too much blood to deliver oxygen from the lungs to every cell in the body. Hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers (HBOCs) and perfluorocarbons are the two main types of artificial blood and are classified by how they carry oxygen.
Hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers are made from expired real blood, cow blood, or artificial hemoglobin that has been sterilized and made stronger by binding the cell to a polymer or other hemoglobin. This type of therapeutic oxygen works much like red blood cells, but the cells are smaller and can carry more oxygen. HBOCs only stay in a person’s body for one day, but they can cause high blood pressure, stomach cramps, and iron overload.
Perfluorocarbons are composed primarily of hydrogen and fluorine and are emulsified in substances such as lecithin before being transfused. This type of cell can carry much more oxygen than normal blood cells, and sometimes this oxygen overload can cause the body to release free radicals. Perfluorocarbons are smaller than blood cells and can travel to swollen or abnormal areas of the body due to disease or trauma.
Artificial blood is usually given to a patient after the doctor transfuses the person’s blood with volume expanders, which is a saline-like substance. The infusion keeps the person’s blood pressure normal until the body can make new blood cells and plasma. Oxygen therapy is invaluable in many emergency situations, as blood has no blood type and can be used by anyone.
Real blood must be refrigerated and is usually only viable for about six weeks, while artificial blood has a shelf life of almost a year and requires no refrigeration, making it a good alternative for field doctors and those in areas of the world where there are much more hostile conditions. There is a risk with a blood transfusion that the blood is contaminated with various conditions, such as hepatitis. Artificial blood can be sterilized, and as demand increases, therapeutic oxygen can be produced to meet the need.
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