The life-sustaining capacity of human polymerized hemoglobin when red cells might be unavailable.

Background: Human polymerized hemoglobin (PolyHeme, Northfield Laboratories, Evanston, IL) is a universally compatible, immediately available, disease-free, oxygen-carrying resuscitative fluid being developed as a red cell substitute for use in urgent blood loss. PolyHeme should be particularly useful when red cells may be temporarily unavailable. This article assesses survival at life-threatening RBC hemoglobin concentration ([Hb]) in massively bleeding patients who do not receive red cells.