ABSTRACT
The first half of the nineties has seen the culmination of several decades of research aimed at identifying an acceptable substitute for red blood cell (RBC) transfusions. Advanced clinical trials, now under way in the United States and in Europe, offer hope that an approvable product may be realized by the end of this century. However, the scope of utility of these, “first-generation” prod ucts and their physiological and commercial limitations are currently topics for heated debate. Descriptions of promising research into future generations of blood substitute products, described in this volume, suggest that the progress toward improved products will be rapid.
