Clinical trials for synthetic blood-products
EMERGENCY medicine experts at Stellenbosch University (SU) will embark on a large, multi-institutional clinical trial to evaluate the use of synthetic blood-products for the resuscitation of trauma victims before arrival at hospital.
In partnership with the US Department of Defence, the Division of Emergency Medicine at SU’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences will be the co-ordinating centre for the study, which includes 21 hospitals and 27 ambulance bases across the country.
These include public and private academic institutions and health-care facilities.
For this study, SU is also partnering with UCT, the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Wits University and the University of Pretoria, collectively representing the body of academic emergency medicine.
Head of SU’s Division of Emergency Medicine Lee Wallis said: “Patients who experience excessive bleeding before arriving at hospital have for many years been resuscitated with salt water.
‘‘However, this solution cannot carry oxygen and can interrupt the natural clotting process of injured blood vessels.
“Hemopure and Bioplasma FDP are specifically designed to restore the oxygen-carrying capacity and the clotting function of the patient’s own circulating blood.
“This can be a lifesaving bridge to allow emergency personnel to get patients to a site where they can receive blood and surgery and has the potential to make a major impact on patients who might have otherwise died.” The study will evaluate the use of the haemoglobin-based oxygen carrier Hemopure together with Bioplasma FDP, a freeze-dried plasma, to resuscitate trauma victims prior to arrival at the hospital.
Haemoglobin is a naturally occurring protein responsible for transporting oxygen through the blood, while plasma is the colourless fluid part of the blood that contains proteins that make blood clot.
Blood transfusions are rarely available prior to hospital arrival. At least half of all trauma deaths occur prior to hospital arrival, therefore earlier and better pre-hospital care strategies can improve clinical outcomes.
However, due to shortages of blood products and storage and logistic challenges, the opportunities for pre-hospital staff to administer blood products remain very limited.