Whole blood has typically been stored for 42 days prior to discarding it. Now we learn that after 3 hours, potent ingredients in the blood start to deteriorate. Nitric Oxide (NO) quick deterioration is of major concern. Without NO, blood vessels can not relax sufficiently to allow blood to pass through the vascular walls. Therefore, people requiring blood to survive are often out of luck when given blood components which lack NO. The blood vessels remain constricted, and the blood pools, not allowed to pass. Heart attacks, even strokes, are the ultimate outcomes of this constricture.
Higher rates of death and ischemic events have been seen in those patients requiring blood transfusions. The Academy stated that the issue of transfused blood being potentially harmful to patients is one of the biggest problems facing American medicine.
An estimated 14 million units of red blood cells are administered to about 4.8 million Americans annually. Stamler, the chief investigator on the role of NO stated that "Banked blood is truly a national treasure that needs to be protected. Blood can be life-saving, only it is not helping the way we had hoped, and in many cases it may be making things worse". (AP, 2007)
The good news is that nitric oxide can be re-introduced into the blood prior to administration. Research in dogs has shown that this is effective, and has decreased the amount of deaths and ischemic events. Clinical trials with humans will hopefully ensue soon.
Source
"Stored blood may lack vital element" (AP), Arizona Daily Star, Tucson, AZ, Tuesday, October 9, 2007
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