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Fluosol is an artificial blood substitute which is milky in color. Its main ingredient is a chemical related to the nonstick coating used in cookware. It was developed in Japan and first tested in the United States in 1982, its recipients being individuals who refused blood transfusions on religious grounds. Fluosol serves as a dissolving medium for oxygen. In order to "load" sufficient amounts of oxygen into it, patients must breathe pure oxygen by mask or must be in a hyperbaric chamber. While initially promising for therapy of heart attack, carbon monoxide poisoning, and sickle-cell anemia, research also indicates that Fluosol may depress the patient's immune system.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ Marieb, Elaine Nicpon. Human Anatomy & Physiology. 4th ed. Menlo Park, California: Addison Wesley Longman, Inc. 1998. 650.
