Fake Blood, Running through your Veins!

I find this very disturbing. You get into an accident you�ve lost blood, the paramedics arrive and proceed with a blood transfusion. What�s the catch? It�s not real blood and hasn�t been approved for the general public! But you have no choice your semi-conscience, and you approval isn�t required. Who can say what is in this stuff, or what the long term effects will be. You become nothing more than a lab rat.

Thanks to an unusual loophole in the strict rules of medical ethics, hundreds of trauma patients in California, Texas and a few other states will be taking a gamble when ambulances come to scoop them up after accidents or acts of violence.

Without waiting to get consent, paramedics will inject a fake blood product into half of the eligible patients chosen to take part in a new study. The other half will get a routine treatment of transfusion with saline solution until they reach the hospital.

For now, the artificial blood, known as PolyHeme, isn't approved for general use. But it will still slip into the veins and arteries of unconscious patients who won't be able to say no.

The Article

There's actually another thread on this. And it's not every paramedic. They're trying it out as part of the FDA's required trials.

Also, working in the medical field, and having to go through the FDA, I guarentee there has been at least 7 years of prelimenary testing on animals and people before this was done.

That is a scary thought, but if it works, and saves lives...
I don't think I'd say no to them doing it to me if it is safe personally; but we don't know what the long term effects are, do we?

The problem is that it hasn�t been approved; it�s being tested on the general public without their consent.

A research program conducted on emergency room patients was halted six years ago after more than 20 recipients died. This report is from 1998.

HOUSTON (AP) -- Nearly half of emergency room patients given an experimental blood substitute died in a nationwide clinical trial -- slightly more than the projected mortality rate, a pharmaceutical company said.

The Article

The simulated haemogloben and simulated blood plasma have given good results in interim testing but are still a bit away from being rolled out due to some deaths.

Originally posted by Nerdling
but are still a bit away from being rolled out due to some deaths.

Ah! It's all good, except for the odd death here and there.

I think I'll wait for better results.

All I can say is if someone I loved was in an accident and they used this experimental substance on them I would be outraged. The point of the tests art to see if it�s safe to use. The last thing I want for myself or �a loved one� would be for them to be used as a �test case� to check the safety of the imitation blood.

John Nada, If you live in one of the test states you may not have the option to "wait for better results". If you fit their discription of a "test patient" they will do it without your consent.