Hemosep: the machine set to revolutionise blood transfusions

A new medical device that give a patient ’s own blood back to them could, its makers say, save lives and money, and is already being used around the world. So why isn’t the NHS buying any of them?The idea of being able to recover a patient ’s own blood and put it back into their body is not new. But until now it has been expensive and largely unworkable. Autotransfusion, as it is known, has typically used large, complex, centrifugal devices that require skilled operators, take a lot of time and are very expensive. The cumbersome mac hines used in many hospitals return just the red blood cells, eliminating the platelets needed for clotting and the white cells required to fight infection. That can lead to complications.But a new machine, devised by Strathclyde University ’s biomedical engineering department, may change all that. Hemosep, as it is known, is designed for use during major surgery. It removes blood from the surgical site, takes out the plasma and returns the vital blood cells to the patient, all through a single lightweight device.Continue reading...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Health & wellbeing Medical research Healthcare industry Life and style Hospitals Science Source Type: news