I thought it was considered a tissue, not an organ.
Nice article, it does take a good look at a very complex issue. And summarizes things very nicely too, at the end, which I quote below.
" Conclusion
Although there has been much interest in developing a blood substitute spanning many decades, development of a successful OTA has not been fruitful to date. This lack of success is perhaps as much attributable to toxicities related to the agents in development as it is to the physiologic nuances of O2 delivery to the tissues. Yet, the future does hold promise as new agents, particularly hemoglobin-based agents, are already in the pipeline and one agent has achieved FDA orphan drug status for the treatment of sickle cell disease.
KEY POINTS
◊ Blood substitutes (“artificial blood”), better termed as oxygen therapeutic agents (OTAs), have been in development for many decades
◊ The development of OTAs has taken two main approaches: 1. perfluorocarbon-based substitutes and 2. hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers
◊ Currently, there are no Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved OTAs given the toxicities of these agents, though some OTAs are used clinically outside of the United States
◊ It is possible to use OTAs in the United States via the FDA expanded (compassionate use) access program for selected patients with severe life-threatening anemia
◊ There are promising new developments in the search for a safe and effective OTA"
Wouldn’t it almost be easier to just genetically engineer pigs to have human compatible blood?
I ask honestly, not because I think that genetically engineering pigs is easy, but because it seems that synthesizing blood seems very hard. We’ve had a little luck with transplants, seems blood should be easier than that.
I think you misapprehend the degree of complexity involved in molecular physiology. Even within the same species it is dauntingly intricate and tiny individual differences can make for wildly variant outcomes. Cross-species, one can multiply the difficulties involved by an order of magnitude or 6.
And blood is one of the most complex substances in the body, carrying thousands of different active factors.
It would help if more people donated blood than currently do. Only 37% of Americans, for example, are eligible to donate blood, and less than 10% of the general population does. I have donated blood regularly for almost 40 years. I ran blood drives at companies I worked at, and now I am responsible for our town’s six annual blood drives. I happen to be 0 neg and CMV neg, and I am reminded constantly to donate since it could be used for premature babies. Most people are too lazy to bother and let the rest of us pick up the slack. Sad since if everyone who could donate donated, we’d be in a lot better shape than we are now, especially in times of a natural disaster, which seem to happen more often than they used to.
Definitely we need more donors! I’ve been a regular donor for 35 years, have a Gold Gallon donor card, and I’m starting to feel like I’m aging out. For the past few years, rather than not feeling any effects after the donation, I’m tired and washed out for half the day at least, and it’s worse after a platelet donation.
I have a common blood type but nothing special, A+, and our local blood center used to absolutely hound me to donate, with phone calls and emails, even when I was donating regularly, to the point that I asked them to please back off. My husband and I get mailers all the time too.
I don’t understand why younger donors aren’t being contacted. Our kids, ages 22 and 24, live at home and hardly ever get any blood center mail, even though they’ve donated a couple of times. Maybe because the 22 year old is AB+, they don’t want his blood as much. A few months ago he and I went to a blood drive together. I gave uneventfully, but he almost passed out, maybe because he hadn’t had much breakfast.
My husband is getting blood center emails with $40 gift card offers for platelets, but when he last gave platelets 15+ years ago they told him that he shouldn’t do it again, for some reason he doesn’t remember. Maybe he should try again?
Paying people to give blood or platelets sends the wrong message. It’s okay to get a $5 gift card for donating once in a while, but it shouldn’t be something you do for the money, IMHO. I think that shows how desperate they are for platelets wherever you live.
According to the American Red Cross, the number of donations needed each year in the US is 4,745,000, so if you can donate but haven’t donated in a while, please schedule a whole blood donation. BTW, I’m an 18-gallon donor at this point.
If you can’t donate for any reason, you can still make a small cash contribution to the ARC so they can purchase equipment that makes donating easier for those of us who can.
@nearwildheaven - year, interesting article. And @Dr_Paprika and @Qadgop_the_Mercotan - thanks for your interesting thoughts on the matter.
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Someone needs to tell that to the NY Blood Center, then. Their website says our area is in a “Blood Emergency situation” with a special need for O, Rh Neg and platelets.
I just looked at my online profile and discovered that I’ve been accumulating “advantage points” in their program; with my next donation I’ll have enough for a $75 gift card. They’ve sent some variation of the email below to my husband every week for the past 2 months, starting end of August. He’s been having health issues and hasn’t felt up to donating. And I just asked him about the platelets; he finally remembered that the phlebotomist said to do double red cell or plasma instead because “you’re one of the people who just doesn’t have many platelets”.
“Dear ___
Your Gift of Platelets is a Powerful Way to Save Lives.
When you come in to make a donation, you will help meet the New York area hospital demand, and may also help patients in Florida. Please make your appointment today.
Donate by October 31 for an eGift Card!
As a thank you, when you present to donate platelets between October 1 - October 31, 2022, you’ll qualify to receive a *$40 eGift card with a choice of over 70 retailers!”
Years ago, someone told me that before actually transfusing blood, they take a small sample of the patient’s blood and a small sample of the donor blood, and mix them together to check if anything dramatic happened, like all the blood clotting. That won’t help you find a pack of blood that will work, but it’s a quick test of “will this pack work?” and might be especially useful in those emergency situations.
Just don’t let Kurt Russell get involved. And make sure the flamethrowers are working properly.
We once had a patient with myelodysplasia who received transfusions over a long period of time. He developed so many antibodies that we couldn’t identify them all so we ended up phenotyping his red cells - identifying all the antigens so we knew what antibodies he might make - so we could try to find units negative for as many of those antigens as possible. What we gave him were referred to as “least incompatible”. That worked pretty well until his illness finally got him.
I was a platelet donor for many years and whole blood too - then -
I used to be (still am?) disqualified due to the Anthrax vaccination series started during overseas deployments. Most of us never received the full series (me included) then they stopped giving the shots. I checked the Red Cross site and Anthrax is no longer mentioned.
I was also stationed in northern Italy for many years. This was once a disqualifying factor due to Mad Cow Disease (CJD) based on location. Again, no longer mentioned.
Are either of these current disqualifications?
AFAIK they both have been dropped as disqualifications by the ARC. When you make an appointment to donate, you will be asked to fill out a Rapid Pass, where most, if not all, disqualifying questions are asked before you even show up. Of course, you can still be disqualified for fever, low iron/hemoglobin, or high blood pressure during the pre-draw interview—worth a shot.
Surprised it was that high (not doubting you).
I am A-…which means they like when I come in and give double reds.
However, my wife is O- and they get down and worship her when she comes in…they call her right before her 4 month time to get her in and will take her anytime/no appt.
Does your wife usually donate double red? Good for both of you if that’s the case.
My dad is O negative and he gave every 2 months for many years. I’m O positive, and donated several times in my late teens, but then I blacked out on the table and they recommended that I not donate again, so I haven’t.
From the long-forgotten memory bank: A decade prior to that, a boy in my social circle wrote an ad for Preparation B, for hemorrhoids of the brain. (ba-dump)
The hospital where I used to work had a Preparation H knockoff called Formulation R. I always found that amusing.
I appreciate your reluctance based on what they told you. I run a blood drive, and every once in a while someone will get lightheaded and may pass out for a few seconds. They will elevate their feet and let them lay there with a wet cloth on their forehead for 10-15 minutes and give them something to drink.
In most cases, they haven’t eaten or drank anything all day and are somewhat dehydrated. If you want to try again, make sure you eat and drink something substantial before you get there and let them know you have passed out before. It’s not that unusual and can usually be avoided through adequate preparation.
I used to give religiously (A+), until I went to Europe in the 90s, and then lived in Europe for a spell, and now, 20+ years on, I believe I’m still ineligible because of mad cow. There’s two questions I fail.