Artificial Blood

Figure 1. Sample Bag of Artificial Blood (Source)

Brief: Scientists have been attempting to develop a blood substitute since the 1800's. Early attempts to try and use animal blood, urine, and even beer have ended up with the patient having extreme reactions sometimes ending with death which led to their disuse. Eventually, these studies led to human to human blood transfusions, but it was observed that these only had a 50% chance of success. Shortly thereafter, it was discovered that humans have a blood type that belongs to A, B, O, or AB. The first successful prototype solution was created by Sidney Ringer composed of sterilized distilled water, sodium chloride, calcium chloride, and potassium chloride. This fluid effectively acted as a blood volume-expander although it was unable to carry oxygen like regular blood does.


Eventually in 1966 it was proved that perfluorocarbon was capable of carrying oxygen similar to how the hemoglobin in blood functions. This opened up a new market for research in full artificial blood substitutes. The AIDS scare in the 1980's pushed people to work toward a safe artificial blood substitute. However the first approved substitute Fluosol-DA was far too unreliable to be used. It did make way for other advancements in the field though. The field is still undergoing research to make it better imitate the feel of real blood as a temporary substitute. The main benefits of artificial blood are its sanitation, its rapid integration with the body, and its ease of transport and storage

Figure 2. A sample process on Artificial Blood Modelling (Source)

Use: Artificial blood requires no user interaction once it is transfused into the body. It is meant to only be a temporary stop gap until the body is capable of replenishing its own blood supply. Additionally, the current technology is unstable and there isnt enough data about the lifetime within the body and its effectiveness.

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