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Israeli firm working on blood pack to save soldiers' lives
Last update - 07:42 25/07/ 2006 By Yuval Azoulay, Haaretz Correspondent
In about two years' time, Israel Defense Forces soldiers may
carry with them to the battlefield packets with their own powdered blood.
A Nes Tziona-based company is working on a revolutionary
product that could change the future battle field, IDF Medical Corps
officers say.
"The idea is to take a soldier's blood, freeze it in
laboratory conditions, take out the ice crystals leaving only the blood
components. It will look like freeze-dried coffee in a little bag," said
Lieutenant colonel Amir Blumenfeld, head of the IDF medical corps' trauma
unit. Every soldier going to battle will receive a packet with his own
freeze-dried blood as part of his mandatory personal kit, much like the
staple personal bandage.
When necessary, if the soldier is wounded in battle
and needs blood, a medic or doctor could take out the dried blood bag, mix
it with physiological water and inject the soldier with a transfusion of his
own blood. Transfusions for all
The Medical Corps believe that such a kit will make blood
transfusions available to every soldier in the battle field and prevent
infections or compatibility problems.
Chief Medical Officer colonel Hezi Levy told Haaretz that
his unit was following the research closely. "Perhaps in about two years, we
will be able to complete the product's development," he said.
"We support the idea and the research and have been
following it for three years. It's looking good. The United States army is
also very interested in this research. This project looks very promising,"
he said.
The company developing the dried blood recently held an
experiment together with representatives of the Israel Defense Forces, which
showed that the freeze-dried blood could carry some 80 percent of oxygen
after being mixed with water. "This is an excellent achievement," said Levy.
Today, when soldiers are wounded in action and need a
blood transfusion in the battlefield or out in the field, military medics
and doctors usually give them a transfusion of water and salt.
In cases of severe wounds, when the casualties are
evacuated by helicopter, there are usually blood transfusions in the
aircraft.
