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Freeze-Dried Blood May Save Soldiers' Lives

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the we've-mixed-blood-into-this-man's-coffee dept.

SpaceAdmiral writes "An Israeli company is working on a method to freeze-dry blood. This would enable soldiers to carry a packet of their own blood on the battlefield. If a soldier is injured and needs blood, medics could mix the dried blood with water and give the soldier a transfusion of his or her own blood. From the article: 'The idea is to take a soldier's blood, freeze it in laboratory conditions, take out the ice crystals leaving only the blood components. It will look like freeze-dried coffee in a little bag.'"

6 of 140 comments (clear)

  1. Two technologies by andrewman327 · · Score: 4, Informative

    Polyheme is an artificial blood that is in the final stages of field testing in the USA. Taken together, these two technologies promise to significantly reduce deaths caused by trauma on the battlefields and highways.

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    Information wants a fueled airplane waiting at the hangar and no one gets hurt.
    1. Re:Two technologies by TubeSteak · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Polyheme also happens to be the stuff that they tested on accident victims without consent .

      They used it in ambulances under some exception to the general rule requiring informed consent for clinical trials.

      You can read more about it by poking around Google
      http://www.google.com/search?q=polyheme+consent
      There was a big ethical brouhaha when the testing made the papers.

      So, when you say "final stages of field testing" you really mean
      "used on accident victims without their permission."

      --
      [Fuck Beta]
      o0t!
    2. Re:Two technologies by andrewman327 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Actually, that is exactly what I meant. As an EMT I am required to know the law. People's lives were saved in these informed consent trials. The people who really need this stuff are in no position to sign anything. It is designed for people who will die without it, so what's the problem?

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      Information wants a fueled airplane waiting at the hangar and no one gets hurt.
    3. Re:Two technologies by SpeedBump0619 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Hey I can play that game too:

      So, instead of "used on accident victims without their permission" what you advocate is "withheld from dying people because they couldn't say yes."

      Explain to me how that's better. I agree that oversight is needed for such a program. But the rules of the program only allow it in critical cases where no alternative is available. The only thing that bothers me about it is the continuation of its use once in the hospital.

      If you are going to complain about this trial, don't just take one aspect of it in isolation and whine about that. Yes, no prior consent is received...but it only matters in cases where option 'b' is die.

  2. Re:My hope by JesseL · · Score: 4, Funny

    Vampires would love it though.

    --
    "Prefiero morir de pie que vivir siempre arrodillado!"
  3. Re:OKay... by Donut2099 · · Score: 4, Funny

    'Tom never has a second transfusion at home...'