Aims: Haemoglobin based oxygen carriers (HBOCs) are considered in the treatment of patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). In light of their potential vasopressor and colloidal properties, their effect on coronary physiology, safety and tolerability needs to be established.
Methods And Results: In this phase II pilot trial, 45 patients were randomly assigned, (1:1:1) to double blind treatment with a 30 minute intravenous (IV) infusion of either 15 or 30 g of HBOC-201, compared to an equivalent volume of non-oxygen carrier colloid control.