Blood Transfusion Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Blood Transfusion, including details on blood donation, blood types, leukemia.

Long-term transfusion of polymerized bovine hemoglobin in a Jehovah's Witness following chemotherapy for myeloid leukemia: a case report.

Agrawal YP, Freedman M, Szczepiorkowski ZM

Blood Transfusion Service and the Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA.

A 52-year-old female Jehovah's Witness presented with relapsed secondary acute myeloid leukemia. Because of chemotherapy-induced anemia, she was infused with the bovine hemoglobin (Hb)-based oxygen carrier HBOC-201 (Biopure) as the sole means of transfusion support. HBOC-201 has only been used for management of acute hemorrhage, and its utility in providing longer term transfusion support is unknown. Over a period of 18 days, a total dose of 1230 g of HBOC-201 was delivered. Although the patient succumbed to the disease after 18 days of treatment, this case documents our experience with the highest dose and duration of HBOC-201 ever used. Although possible renal toxicity could not be definitively excluded, the homogeneous extraction of oxygen by the brain in the presence of and perhaps from HBOC-201 was demonstrated.

Published 7 November 2005 in Transfusion, 45(11): 1735-8.
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