Synthetic oxygen carriers are also called as artificial blood or substitute blood. The Synthetic oxygen carriers are substances that can be used as alternatives to blood, when blood is required to be transfused to a patient. These Synthetic oxygen carriers or artificial blood is especially useful if due to some reason compatible blood is not found or if the blood of the patient reacts to all known blood types.
These chemical substances act like the blood in the transport of oxygen to the peripheral tissues and throughout the body. In cases of severe anemia, the transport of oxygen is affected because of the lack of hemoglobin, which is the most important component of blood, responsible of the transport of oxygen. The Artificial blood acts as a substitute to hemoglobin, in the sense that it aids in the transport of oxygen and its delivery to all the tissues of the body.
The commonly used Synthetic oxygen carriers or artificial blood are:
• Recombinant hemoglobin.
• Recombinant erythropoietin.
•Perfiurocarbon emulsion called as Flusol-DA.
• Perfiurocytlbromide.
These synthetic oxygen carriers have the prospect of becoming a good replacement of blood in future.
This Artificial Blood will be particularly useful in patients belonging to the Jehovah’s witness, who refuse to receive the blood transfusion because of their religious beliefs.