Transfusion Medicine - Is Its Future Secure?

 Alternatives to Blood Transfusion

Over the past six years, Hospital Liaison Committees for Jehovah's Witnesses worldwide have distributed tens of thousands of copies of the video program Transfusion-Alternative Strategies-Simple, Safe, Effective in some 25 languages to those within the medical community.  The program shows world-renowned physicians discussing effective strategies currently used to treat patients without blood transfusions.  People are taking note.  For example,  after viewing the program in late 2001, the National Blood Service (NBS) in the United Kingdom sent a letter with a copy of this video  to all blood-bank managers and consultant hematologists throughout the country.   They were encouraged to watch the program because of  "increasing recognition that one of the aims of good clinical care is to avoid blood transfusion wherever possible." The letter acknowledged that "the general message [in the video] is praiseworthy and is one of the NBS strongly supports."

Fractionation-The Use of Blood's Lesser Ingredients in Medicine

Science and technology make it possible to identify and extract elements from blood through a process called fractionation. To illustrate: Seawater, which is 96 percent water, can be divided through fractionation processes in order to capture the remaining substances present, such as magnesium, bromine and of course, salt.  Likewise, blood plasma, which makes up more than half the volume of whole blood, is over 90 percent water and can be processed to harvest fractions including proteins, such as albumin, fibrinogen, and various globulin. 

As part of a treatment or therapy, a doctor might recommend concentrated amounts of plasma fraction.  An example of such  is protein-rich cryoprecipitate, which is obtained by freezing and then thawing plasma.  This insoluable portion of plasma is rich in coagulation factors and is usually given to patients to stop bleeding.  Other treatments may involve a product that contains a blood fraction, whether in trace amounts or as a primary ingredient.  Some plasma proteins are used in routine  injections that can help to increase immunity after exposure to infectious agents. Nearly all blood fractions being used in medical applications consist of the proteins found in blood plasma. 

According to Science News, "scientists have identified only several hundred of the estimated thousands of proteins tyically cursing through a person's bloodstream." As understanding of blood grows in the future. new products derived from these proteins may emerge. 

Next time: The Real Value of Blood

From the jw.org publications