heathervaught

I have been waiting for the other shoe to drop for years, just like Mabel. I suspect that a lot of research $$$ will now be redirected toward NO research. I always try to help physicians who request more info, but those who demand "this and that" research results are simply told that I am offering my product for their use as is, and it is up to them to decide how and when to use it. In other words, do your own research. That may sound cold, but the colder reality is that when a patient dies and blood transfusion is implicated, the physician will try to pass the buck by pointing to the blood bank. I have seen this happen, and been on the receiving end. It won't happen again. I don't refute any research. When one of our cardiovascular surgeons showed us some research that said that redo CABG patients needing transfusion were less likely to survive unless given fresh blood <7 days old, I didn't say "rubbish." I said that we can support one patient a week with a requirement to provide blood <7 days old. With that limitation, suddenly it wasn't the issue it was before. I have had physicians demand products we don't offer. My answer is we have what we have- this is our menu. Our blood cooks follow recipes from which they cannot deviate. Dallas is 150 miles up the road. I can certainly recommend a good blood restaurant up there if you absolutely have to have such-and-such. (The proper wine to serve with blood is a nice Merlot.)
I can see one direction this may go. In the future, we may issue a nitric acid popper with each unit of blood. "Okay, Mr. Jones, I am starting the transfusion now. If you feel any tightness in your chest, pop this ampule, wait 2 seconds, then inhale the white smoke deeply twice and hit your call button."
BC

John R. Pawloski, Jonathan S. Stamler (2002)
Nitric oxide in RBCs
Transfusion 42 (12), 1603–1609.
doi:10.1046/j.1537-2995.2002.00278.x