Emergency Patients Unwittingly Get Artificial Blood Paramedics in five U.S. cities have started infusing experimental artificial blood into victims of car crashes, shootings and other life-threatening emergencies without first getting their consent, as most research projects require. Ambulances and medical helicopters racing to bring hemorrhaging patients to more than a dozen other hospitals around the country, including possibly two in Virginia, will eventually join the test of the synthetic oxygen-carrying liquid, called PolyHeme. Supporters say the study is the only means to prove that the pouches of red fluid offer one of the longest-sought tools in medicine -- a way...
