Artificial Blood

Throughout the years, blood has been a necessary need especially to those in the
medical field. It is needed in blood transfusions, surgeries, and is used to treat patients with
medical conditions such as anemia, cancer blood disorders, etc. Recently, shortage of donated
blood has forced the biotechnology of artificial blood. The artificial blood doesn't contain red and
white cells, plasma or platelets that of the human blood, but in different ways, it attempts to
execute the same job as the regular human blood. As with the majority of technological
advances, there are pros and cons to think about. We need a lot of blood. There are never
enough donors, and both advanced surgeries and emergency care rely heavily on large
quantities of blood being available. According to Richard Bayston of SteadyHealth, with the
usage of artificial blood, pros are it could end healthcare's reliance on blood donors, it can be
also be set up so that they can carry more oxygen and can be sterilized against diseases,
another positive is that it can be used to treat patients whose religion prevents them from
receiving blood transfusions. Cons are it is not a true blood substitute that only replaces oxygen
carrying capacity, it can cause severe side effects, such as vasoconstriction which is the
tightening and narrowing of the blood vessel walls, additionally, it may also cause rapid spikes
in blood pressure, Haemosiderosis, and chronic overload. These potentials and actualities of
artificial blood are all currently being researched and tested. Artificial blood will continue to be
improved upon and added to and will play a big role in the medical industry in the years to
come.