Phlebotomy schools, or more precisely, phlebotomy universities, are diligently working to provide more than the basic education required by the profession. In a nutshell, these universities are constantly studying the relationship between certain substances present in the blood samples and various diseases, intravenous treatment options and the resistance to medication, and so on and so forth.
A study conducted by a research team at one of the most famous phlebotomy schools, the Duke University Medical Center, has recently uncovered a major impediment with stored blood: loss of efficiency. Given that transfusions are often essential in treating a wide array of conditions, ranging from lesions to leukemia, this study may just have stumbled upon a serious problem.
The basic facts uncovered by the study
Essentially, the research conducted by the Duke University phlebotomy school discovered that whenever blood is stored for extended periods of time, even in proper conditions, it begins to undergo a series of modifications. The red cells no longer have the same capacity of releasing adenosine 5 triphosphate, or ATP for short. The direct consequence is that the red cells are more prone to adhering to the vessels and less apt to transport oxygen. The loss of this capacity is said to be directly proportional with the age of the blood cells, meaning that the older they are, the less functional they are.
The implications of the research
First of all, patients with severe conditions have less chances of recovery and, in certain cases, even survival, following the blood transfusion. Conditions such as leukemia require frequent blood transfusions in order for the patient to survive, as no actual cure for the full-blown diseases has been discovered. Moreover, an individual with an already malfunctioning circulatory system that undergoes a transfusion with older red blood cells is even placing his own health at risk, as the adhering molecules can form clogs, and in this situation a heart attack is imminent. Additional problems such as respiratory failures, multiple organ failures, infections and similar complications are also possible.
Where are the efforts currently focused?
Researchers at Duke University and other phlebotomy schools are working on increasing the lifespan of stored blood cells without the diminished efficiency. In order to do so, the studies are targeting the adhesion process directly and the mechanisms that are triggering it. Although there have been other research projects that indicated the relationship between the age of the blood and its proficiency, none have correlated it with the adhesion process or have been able to accurately measure it.
The silver lining
The Sulk Institute has recently released information regarding a process that could generate a high amount of blood cells from a sample of the patients blood. The methodology is based on the stem cell system and it has generated quite a hype in the medical community. Needless to say, the information uncovered is invaluable to a wide array of specializations. However, the authors have admitted it will take a bit of time to work out all the bugs and that the generation procedure was only able to replicate primitive immune cells.
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